Sunday, July 06, 2008
A+E, Movies, Reviews

Animation Show

‘Animation Show’ draws from a talented pool

Packages of animated short films for adults were very popular in the ’80s and early ’90s, with two or three a year receiving fairly wide distribution—at least before the Internet came along. “The Animation Show” revives that bygone theatrical trend, and this 80-minute package of some two dozen films, each under 10 minutes, caters to short attention spans, with something for just about every taste. Mike Judge (“Beavis & Butt-Head”) is attached as a producer, but his work isn’t featured in this year’s package. The best known artist here is Bill Plympton, with the sketchy pastel piece “Hot Dog.”

Two of the highlights are Georges Schwizgebel’s abstract “Jeu,” from Canada, a series of transformations set to music by Prokofiev; and Stefan Mueller’s “Mr. Schwartz, Mr. Hazen and Mr. Horlocker,” from Germany, a solid narrative with a structure Tarantino fans will appreciate. Similarly structured and almost as effective is “Blind Spot,” one of three entries from France’s Gobelin school of animation.

The best animation comes from another Gobelin entry, the fast-paced “Voodoo,” which could be a lost Indiana Jones adventure, while Trevor Jimenez’ film noir tribute “Key Lime Pie” offers the most intriguing drawing style. “Western Spaghetti,” by New York’s PES, makes imaginative use of objects in stop-motion animation for a too-brief cooking demonstration.

Cels, clay, computers and a “Crotch-Biting Sloup”—they’re all here. You might do as well by browsing YouTube for a couple of hours, but why not let Mike be the Judge and save yourself the effort? 2.5 STARS—Steve Warren