Thursday 24 August 2017

The 18th Animation Show of Shows



Just before I start, every year, I go to the biggest animation festival in North America, which is known as the OIAF. I see over 100 animated short films, which either sensationalize my inner film pallet, or is revolting, in all the sense of the word. Most of the time (like 95% of the time), I see brand new and fresh animated short films. With that said, The 18th Animation Show of Shows does NOT present the very best of animation. The 18th Animation Show of Shows is nothing more then a decent selection of some of the most commercially successful animated films from the last two years. Most of the short films range from meh to alright (with some exceptions of course.) Because it is difficult to judge a compilation, I'll be ranking each short films from least to greatest with my own personal opinion attached to said ranking:
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16. Shift: a terribly executed mess of a student film, overall thematic tone and characterization is all over the place 4.2/10

15. All Their Shades: Similar to Shift, the overall thematic message comes at the last couple seconds, making it feel more propaganda piece then thought provoking art 4.5/10

14. Corpus: Well animated, yet could of used more substance to tell a much more concise plot 5.2/10

13.  Crin-Crin: A charming, yet terribly directed film, in which the film makers can't decide to go fully animated or a live action music video 5.5/10

12. Blue: Well animated, but it didn't really connect with me on a personal and emotional level 6/10

11. Waiting for the New Year: A tranquil yet forgettable piece of art 6/10

10.  Afternoon Class: Well made and crafted, yet missed the mark in being anything more then good 6.3/10

9. Pearl: Works better as a virtual reality experience then a short film, yet still has some artistic merits in the final cut of the short film 6.4/10

8. Mirror: A beautiful piece of commissioned animation, which feels neither exploitative nor abhorrently commercial 6.7/10

7: Stems: A magnificent tribute to stop motion animation 6.8/10

6.  Last Summer in the Garden: A short film structured like a poem, smooth and well crafted with each stanza  7.5/10

5. Manoman: The definition of a messed-up fever dream, filled with social political commentary on mental illness 7.5/10

4. About a Mother: A simple yet highly re-watchable tribute to old folk tales and art designs 7.8/10

3. Inner Workings: A charming short film with hilarious hi-jinks and a great core message 8.4/10

2. TIED
Piper: Similar to Inner Workings, Piper delivers in almost every regard 8.8/10
Exploozy: A great work of satire, with delightful jokes and animation 8.8/10

1. The Boyg: One of the most beautiful pieces of experimental art that has ever been crafted. The overall concept and origin behind this short film is astonishing and a sight to behold 9/10

In general, I recommend seeing short films 6-1. Everything else is either good or meh. If your going to see this, I do recommend seeing it on the big screen. Each animator, no matter the project, worked hard on their respective pieces. I'm just not too big of a fan with this short film collection




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