Bear Story

During the Oscars, I was really rooting for World of Tomorrow to win the Oscar for best animated short film. I was a little disappointed that Bear Story won but that was only because I hadn't seen it yet. Since then, I've sat through the ten-minute short film and I can definitely see why it was worthy of the Oscar it won.

The film starts off in a pretty lackluster setting but it quickly gets more interesting. Most of the story is told through the machinery of a music box which really grabbed my attention and there were a lot of transitions and effects that built off of the unique setting very nicely. The story was simple but effective in getting the audience invested in what was going on. The CG scenes that didn't take place in the music box could have looked a little smoother in my opinion though and out of the other Oscar nominees like World of Tomorrow and We Can't Live Without Cosmos, it seemed a lot less memorable in comparison.

Overall, Bear Story was a nice ten minute film that obviously had a lot of work put into, but I feel like World of Tomorrow is better suited towards my taste in film so I would have rather seen it win the Oscar.

You can check out Bear Story by clicking on the link below: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIugretb-3Q

We Can't Live Without Cosmos

We Can't Live Without Cosmos, is an animated short-film that is nominated for an Oscar this year along side other shorts such as World of Tomorrow, which I reviewed as part of my first blog post of the semester. It was created by Russian filmmaker Konstantin Bronzit and centers around two life-long friends and aspiring astronauts as they train in hopes of one day venturing into the vastness of space. However, when tragedy strikes midway through the film, the change of tone falters from cheerful to depressing. The short is devoid of dialogue but is able to tell a compelling story nonetheless through clever animation. One of my favorite scenes in particular is when a shot of a starry night sky transitions into snow falling, an effect that illustrates the change of tone perfectly. The animation itself is unique and fun to watch throughout. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the 15-minute film and wish it luck in the upcoming Oscars. You can watch the entire video for free by using the link below:

http://video.newyorker.com/watch/we-can-t-live-without-cosmos

World of Tomorrow Review

I first watched Don Hertzfeldt's compilation of short films, It's Such a Beautiful Day, nearly a year ago while I was taking another one of Arturo's classes. It was completely on a whim and I needed something to review for our blog. I figured a simple, hour long animation featured on Netflix would give me enough to write about, and it absolutely did to say the least. Since then, I've rewatched it multiple times with family and friends as I tried to share it with as many people as possible. To me, It's Such a Beautiful Day, is the perfect example of taking advantage of the medium of animation: inserting compelling narration alongside abstract imagery in a seemingly simple but very complex way that makes you think.

Over the Winter break, Hertzfeldt's newest short film, World of Tomorrow, was added to Netflix's library and I didn't hesitate to press play as soon the title card popped up on my dashboard. This 16-minute animated film shares the same style as his previous works, that being a minimalist art style contrasted by thought provoking narration. Unlike his other shorts however, World of Tomorrow featured a very Sci-fi theme. The short begins with a little girl, Emily, being contacted by a future version of herself developed through cloning, a futuristic method which they explain greatly in the film but I will omit from this review. The rest of the story revolves around these two versions of Emily touring throughout various scientific advances that seemingly dehumanize the human race with every step, illustrating a very bleak and depressing future.

The dialogue seemed very genuine the first time I watched through it and I was not surprised to find out that the voice of the little girl was actually recorded by a little girl; four year old Winona Mae, Hertzfeldt's niece, to be more specific. What I did find surprising was the fact that Hertzfeld recorded all of his niece's dialogue while drawing pictures with her so all of it was completely improvised. The film was then tailored to match Winona's words, creating a unique experience while making the theme of the short even more impactful.

Overall, I thought this standalone 16-minute film was a strong addition to Don Hertzfeldt's filmography. Unique furtustic-esque ideas and creations are reenforced well by the narrative and brief moments of humor throughout help to alleviate the bleak scenario that unfolds. It would be unfair to compare it to the hour-long, It's Such a Beautiful Day, based solely on the fact that Hertzfeld didn't have nearly as much time to flesh out the characters and environments, but as a fan, it does leave me wanting more. With an additional 45-minutes, this could have definitely been a masterpiece, but I'm content with the final product nonetheless.            

            

Don Hertzfeldt and "World of Tomorrow"

Don Hertzfeldt, an American writer, animator, and independent filmmaker, has created many animated shorts and films. His films have received over 200 awards, and he's won the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize for Short Film twice. 

In his book "The World History of Animation", author Stephen Cavalier writes, "Hertzfeldt is either a unique phenomenon or perhaps an example of a new way forward for individual animators surviving independently on their own terms… he attracts the kind of fanatical support from the student and alternative crowds usually associated with indie rock bands."

His films tend to focus on dark humor, exploring themes of existentialism and philosophy.

Here's another one of his short films: The Meaning of Life.

World of Tomorrow will be available through video on demand at the end of this month. You can watch his film, It's Such a Beautiful Day on Netflix now.