OIAF 2008: International Shorts Showcase
Animated Shorts From Disney, Pixar And Around the World
Sep 24, 2008
The 2008 Ottawa International Animation Festival not only had its Shorts Competition, but also showcased several animated shorts from around the world, on Friday September 19th. Whether it was the latest CGI shorts from Disney and Pixar, or cut-out animation from Russia, there was something here for everyone.
The Great
Santiago 'Bou' Grasso unleashed "El Empleo (The Employment)," which depicted a world where people are used as everyday objects, such as tables, doors, lamps and carpets. The imagination on display here is stunning, and it makes some telling points about how we treat our fellow humans.
William Becher's "The Weatherman" successfully matched some sweet animation with typically dry British humour in recounting the story of a man whose weather forecasting machine goes haywire.
The Not-So-Great
Artistic diarrhea was a problem for some of these shorts. Géza M. Toth's "Ergo" had a great deal of promise, but would have been a lot more effective if he had edited out around half of its 12:28 length. Joanna Priestley's "Streetcar Named Perspire" also needed some serious editing as well, 6:30 being far too long. Some really good ideas, but the execution wasn't quite there.
Arnaud Demuynck & Christophe Gautry's "La Vita Nuova" was also far too long (12:00) and far too pretentious for its own good. The same affliction haunted Wiola Sowa's "Refreny (Refrains)," an incoherent meditation on 3 generations of women who are linked by common bonds and feelings.
Dmitry Geller's "Malchik (Boy)" was simply confusing, while Tomi Malkki's "Syötti (Bait)" got a little too obsessed with penises.
Disney & Pixar's Shorts
Not surprisingly, the festival organizers saved the most entertaining shorts, Disney/Pixar's "Presto" and Disney Animation's first CGI short "Glago's Guest," for last.
Two years ago, Disney Animation creative chief John Lasseter re-instituted the Shorts Program at the Mouse House in order to add extra value to their animated feature films, test new technology, techniques and story ideas, and give younger animators a taste of the director's chair.
Doug Sweetland's "Presto" was certainly the audience favourite, getting the biggest cheers and applause even before the initial credits had scrolled. The story of a magician's rabbit who takes onstage revenge after his master forgets to feed him once too often, "Presto" had audiences rolling in the aisles when it made its theatrical debut before Andrew Stanton's WALL-E. On its own (and matched with the previous shorts), it went over even better with the assembled animation geeks.
You are going to do another animated project for Pixar, right, Doug? Right, Doug?
"Glago's Guest," conceived by Chris Williams shortly before he was pulled to direct the feature Bolt, follows a lonely Russian soldier in the mid-1920's who suddenly comes face-to-face with visitors from outer space. It's a well put-together story and a real technical leap forward for the animation department. The audience of animators and students gave it enthusiastic applause.
"Glago's Guest" is a wonderful sign of things to come if the Lasseter/Catmull administration is allowed to have their way in the Mouse House's animation department. Look for it to precede Bolt when that film comes to theatres on November 21st.
So, do those aliens come in peace? Journalists were asked not to reveal any possible spoilers, but it is a Disney animated short. No chest-bursters here, folks.
Look for exclusive interviews with "Presto" director Doug Sweetland and "Glago's Guest" production manager Doeri Welch-Greiner in the following days.
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