I’m pretty excited about Tim Burton’s upcoming MOMA exhibit (I love his aesthetic sensibilities). The museum has released a new promo video:
The exhibit begins November 22nd and runs through April 26th.
Anyone else plan on going?
Category: animation
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Now for something considerably LESS creepy than the last post, I give you “Midnight Dance.” This video made the rounds on some Halloween countdowns (my apologies for not remembering which blog I saw it on first).
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Something about this video is profoundly disturbing. I found it in a search while wondering about the new Fantastic Mr. Fox movie (specifically, whether they were using pure stop-motion or CGI).
One thing is for sure: THIS one is pure stop-motion. It pulls off the amazing feat of being incredibly creepy without anything gory or horrific. Wait until it gets going a minute or so into the video.
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I’m coming down with a little something, so I better get some rest today. In the meantime, here are two big playlists of Halloween goodies to keep you occupied!
Vintage Halloween and Spooky Cartoons
Enjoy!
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The Skeleton Dance is one of my favorite cartoons of all time, so I was shocked when I saw Skeleton Frolic on George Van Orsdel’s blog. How did this escape me for so long?
I absolutely don’t care that it’s a complete rip off of the 1929 cartoon. It’s great.
Found here
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I’ve come across a lot of Mike Dougherty’s work lately, especially with all the Trick ‘r Treat buzz and I recommend checking out this short film. Adorable.
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The Brothers Quay are among my favorite stop motion animators of all time. I recently had the good fortune to visit the Dormitorium exhibit at Parsons in NYC, where I got to see some props and film sets in person.
I was surprised to find the film set dioramas smaller than I expected. So much detailed crafting went into each one of them.
The next two were encased in opaque boxes with a wacky 3D viewing lens…they lose something in the photos.
The sets incorporate the most fantastic found objects. Bits and pieces of discarded wood, instruments, dolls and furniture come to life.
Here, Jesus wears a crown of horns, and has wire eyelashes.
Even the lighting was arranged wonderfully, to reflect the mood of the exhibit.
You can see the rest of my photos here.
The Brothers Quay are masters of dark, atmospheric surreal film making. Almost no dialogue is used, nor is it needed. The films rely heavily on classic (often avant garde) soundtracks to complement the scene.
And if you’d like a sample animation:
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Count Chocula and Frankenberry have carved out quite a niche for themselves in the realm of sugary themed breakfast treats. But I find the third General Mills monster cereal, Boo Berry, to be tragically underrepresented.
This is how it all began in the early 70’s:
From the very start, this character was ostracized and poorly treated:
Stoners across the world may be disappointed to discover that the ghost (despite being created in the 70’s) is not supposed to be high. He is based on actor Peter Lorre, hence the heavy lids and off-kilter grin. Though Boo does often appear to be under the influence, I prefer to think of him as chronically relaxed. Ghosts can be so uppity sometimes.
Besides, mixing Boo Berry and drugs may cause severe impairment of judgment:
There were some stellar toys as well. Presenting the LEAST scary ghost on earth! You WANT this guy haunting your house, because it would basically be like having a quiet, agreeable friend over. Don’t you just want to ask him to bring over a video and some popcorn?
You can also dress up as Boo (I was surprised to see this on the Spirit store website, since my Halloween partner in crime and I recently combed every inch of the place and surely would have noticed this in stock).
I originally saw this box on a mislabeled site, claiming it was from the 80’s. Turns out it’s a 2008 incarnation (thanks, Brian!). Time for a close-up!
Naturally, the most recent version of the box has fallen victim to the pristine, homogenized, airbrushed artistic tendencies of our current decade. Boo appears younger and thinner, as if he’s had an eye lift procedure and taken up amphetamines.
In my opinion, the modern design is soul-less by comparison. Part of Boo’s charm was his simplicity. He doesn’t need bright, shiny eyes or castles emerging from his head.
Boo, if you’re reading this, we loved you the way you were: dazed, lethargic, and packed with delicious blue crunchy pellets.
Do they still sell this cereal anywhere? Let me know if you’ve seen it in stores near you, because I haven’t in years.
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This is a fantastic stop-motion short film about a robot who falls in love with an electric kettle. There’s been much “humanization” of robots in the media lately, and I have to admit I find it rather moving.
Warning: not all love stories end happily.
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I’ve been meaning to post about Red Nose Studio for ages.
What a marvelous collection of carved sculptures they have, all brilliantly photographed. Some characters evoke genuine pathos.
A favorite, of course:
Each piece has such a unique “atmosphere” to it (I love the machinery and contraptions).
I was thinking to myself that these 3D sculptural illustrations would make dynamite stop motion animation. Sure enough, a video search turned up some results.
See more on the website
SheWalksSoftly 