Tag: animation

The Skeleton Dance

October 2nd, 2008

In early celebration of Halloween (I could celebrate all month), I give you one of my all time favorite animations, The Skeleton Dance, made by Disney’s Silly Symphony in 1929.

Although modern CGI is a magnificent technical accomplishemt, I feel it lacks the soul found in vintage animation. CGI strives for visual depth, realism and calculated caricature; vintage animation was far more liberal in the creation of characters and use of wonderful anatomical impossibilities.

A version of The Skeleton Dance was colorized and used in the introduction of Disney’s Halloween Treat in 1982. That was my all time favorite Halloween special as a child, and nowadays it’s impossible to find, save for a very overpriced VHS tape on amazon.

Anyone remember that show? Anyone HAVE a copy?
Fear(s) of the Dark

September 28th, 2008

I’ve heard very little about this upcoming animated anthology, but I really look forward to seeing it.

I believe it comes out 10/24.
Rotofugi: The Collectors

September 25th, 2008

When I was a child, I wrote a story in which a group of moths kept a collection of humans pinned to trees in a remote part of the forest. It seemed like poetic justice, given the human penchant for displaying collections of dead things.

I had a pang of nostalgic thrill when I saw the new animation by Rotofugi, the wonderful toy store and gallery.

I can’t embed the clip, but watch it on NOTCOT (which is, incidentally, a great site).
Andrew Huang

September 19th, 2008

Andrew Huang is an artist, animator and director who makes rather impressive short films and music videos.

I just revisited “Doll Face;” a surrealist piece of anthropomorphic tragedy in which a robot struggles to attain a human physical ideal found on TV. Perhaps all young girls should view this short film as a cautionary tale.

The clips in Huang’s Art and Experimental section use film projection to lend life to inanimate sculpture (very cool visual illusions). Simple paper mache and yarn take on life.

I love the creeping branches that give way to…well, something you should see…in the end of All Remote & No Control. This video wonderfully defies time, space, nature and gravity, all with a perfectly apocalyptic color scheme.

Thanks so much for the reminder of Huang’s work, Matt!
Jiri Barta

September 11th, 2008

I’d like to be a fly on the wall in Jiri Barta’s brain (albeit very briefly, for fear of losing my already tenuous grip on reality).

Okay, okay…so I’m actually a very grounded individual. But life hasn’t yet pummeled the imaginative dreamer out of me either.

Hence my love of Barta’s Labyrinth of Darkness; a collection of short stop-motion animation ranging from six to 55 minutes and encompassing many types of mixed media. Amazing diversity of material and style.

I particularly love “The Club of the Laid Off;” a portrayal of a decaying warehouse used as a dumping ground for unwanted dolls and mannequins…who come to life and engage in awkward acts of typical human debauchery. The chipped rotting faces, frozen in painted joy create a clumsy desperate scene.

Honestly, I speak only for myself when praising Barta, knowing full well that creepy surrealist stop-motion does not possess universal appeal. A high tolerance for the strange and unusual is necessary to love his films.
ALRIGHT!

August 25th, 2008

That’s the title of this splendid video from the (hopefully budding) FUBEAR STUDIOS.

This flat-out delights me, despite the eventual fate of the fez wearing protagonist. It perks me up more than a morning cup of coffee (especially when the bear starts rocking out on guitar).

Personally, I want a sequel in which the bear rules the colony from his little glass chamber. It could be done.
Christiane Cegavske

August 24th, 2008

I watched Blood Tea and Red String last night, and was quite impressed.

Thirteen years in the making, Christiane Cegavske’s dialog free film tells the tale of the struggle between the aristocratic White Mice and the rustic Creatures Who Dwell Under the Oak over the doll of their heart’s desire. The Mice commission the Oak Dwellers to create a beautiful doll for them. When she is complete, the Creatures fall in love with her and refuse to give her up. Resorting to thievery the Mice abscond with her in the middle of the night.

This stop motion fairly tale cloaks some rather dark messages of obsession and socio-political commentary. It’s probably not for everyone…but I loved it and I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel: Seed in the Sand due out in 2012. Anyone intrigued by the style of the more mainstream Jigsaw puppet in the Saw film series should definitely pay homage to Cegavske’s craftsmanship by watching her film.

In addition to the painstaking (though certainly worthwhile) effort of these films, Christiane Cegavske also has galleries of other mixed media arts on her website.

Although there is some phenomenal digital art out there, I’ll always have a soft spot for tangible creations that get an artist’s hands dirty.
Kakurenbo: Hide and Seek

August 22nd, 2008

I’ll preface this post by saying that I am *very* picky about anime. But I thank Artie (and Netflix Instant Queue) for bringing my attention to “Kakurenbo.” The film is based on a game of hide and seek that children play near the ruins of an abandoned city…with the persistent threat of being captured by demons.

I view Kakurenbo as a fantastic portrayal of a vivid nightmare. There is no back story, no developed plot…simply a game that embodies the terror of the chase, and culminates in a chilling twist with the seamless blending of innocence and evil.

Definitely worth the 20 minutes! Stick with it for the ending.
Singing Pickles: A Birthday Tribute

August 22nd, 2008

Today is the day that Ronnie, my lifelong Soul Friend, was born.

His favorite food is pickles. I planned to post the following image as if these little fellows were singing the Happy Birthday song:

And then it happened.

I did a google search for “singing pickle” and journeyed through an unexpected exhibit of how others have employed this concept. Turns out, there is an Electronic Yodeling Pickle, and even multiple online tutorials to draw singing pickles (we’ve all wanted to know).

Then there is the “fun alternative for kids in the schools,” The Pickle Sickle. And what I like to call Olde Time Love Pickles.

Do you have seven minutes? Then follow an irritating six year old boy and a melodramatic expatriate pickle named Polski on their journey to El Gorkia where Polski hopes to be reunited with his beloved pickle parents. They fly in a “hot sauce powered wok,” battle menacing seagulls and Bratwurst bullies (one gets stripped of his casing and gets his “nakedness” censored with a black bar).

Can you stand NOT knowing how it all turns out???

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RONNIE!
Sweet Wishes

August 21st, 2008

Here is a video collaboration from the absolutely unparalleled Mark Ryden (whose brilliance could inspire and fill an entirely separate blog) and the talented Marion Peck. The poor production just amps up the vintage charm.

Come for the sparkling tapestry of sweets…stay for the teddy bear vomit.