Oh this?

Animation Show of Shows

Because I just have to say something about it.

The 13th Animation Show of Shows was a wild and wonderful ride. But I know I say that every year. 

As someone who needs constant stimulation for my unstoppable and sometimes frighteningly, super energetic nature, this Show of Shows fulfilled that craving in every way. I mean, I know very few people can watch any decent film passively - but this! This was like being gobbled up whole by a rush of color and light and movement. A visual bombardment in the best of ways.

The Pixar short, La Luna, which started it all off, was a Pixarian story in that you were slightly flabbergasted as to how Pixar can keep just pulling it off. And completely overwhelmed. That and it was about Italians and the moon and I just loved it. My friend Kat who saw it premiere at Annecey told me that it was actually made just for me. I think she was right. I loved it because the shots were done so beautifully and delicately, it was like being awash in the glow of an oil painting which had come to life. The colors were so vibrant yet harmonious. And the story was so sweet, yet so funny. Pixar! Always wonderful.

The short that followed that was something made for animators. It was so quietly clever in so many ways, it’s no wonder that the artist, Verena, and her team at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, won like a million awards for it. Not to mention, their uv mapping skills are out of this world. It’s called Mobile, but I wouldn’t go searching for it, because the trailer gives too much away. If I find a full copy, I’ll share.

After that was the short that blew us all away. The Polish! There’s a seat of Animation in Europe that threatens France’s crown. Me and my fellow animation students were perched on the edge of our seats, eyes wide, jaws swinging loose. The film kept outdoing itself! Visually, it teased that edge between 3D and 2D due to the fact that their toon shader flattened everything, yet drew the eye to the edges of objects by emphasizing them in a dramatic, heavy-handed way. Story-wise, this film had a direct point, but instead of just going for the obvious, the Polish chose to viscerally explore every aspect of what we mean by struggle, hatred, pain, loathing, and every evil in this world - which of course, starts with the very roots of human arrogance and ignorance. The thing I love most about the story was the moment where I thought it had peaked and we were in the denouement, where failure had been accepted, and forgiveness was somewhere in the distant, hazy future of this struggle - well, I was wrong. And then it did it again! You thought it was over! But it wasn’t! And then, again, for a thrice time, it tricked you into thinking there was a denouement. I don’t even think there was a denouement. Stupendous. The curator told us afterwords that every single frame had been keyframed. Every. Single. Frame. This is 3D! Part of the point of 3D is that you don’t have to keyframe everything! And the Polish did! Thank goodness they won awards. In fact - we should give them a few islands and crown them animation gods.

Okay, I have way more to say about this, but I have to take my dog out for a walk. Finish this up later… :D