Big Picture Big Sound

Two are outstanding. Three are very good, but one of these three is a difficult watch.

And the nominees for Short Film (Animated) are...

"I Met the Walrus"
"Madame Tutli-Putli"
"My Love" (Moya Lyubov)
"Peter & The Wolf""
"Even Pigeons Go To Heaven"

Movies like those nominated for the 2008 Short Film (Animated) Oscar usually go unseen by the general public unless you stumble upon them a few years later at an animation festival but they are starting to see the light of day much earlier now. Okay, they are still not showing at your local Cineplex but maybe someday soon they will make it to more venues. I hope so, because people would eat this tuff up, in my opinion.

"I Met the Walrus " is an interview with John Lennon set to animation and it is true to the type of artwork we saw in the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" and other animation from that era. Lennon comes across as amusing, funny, smart, opinionated, and most importantly, at peace with himself. It makes one wonder where his life would have turned if not for his being shot down. Very entertaining and thoughtfully and tastefully done.

From the National Film Board of Canada comes "Madame Tutli-Putli". Anyone familiar with this group's incredible body of work will not be disappointed by this outing. That characters drawn can look so lifelike even while not looking exactly like human beings is nothing short of brilliant. Just a look in the eyes of our title character is more than most filmmakers can hope to achieve in their career. If you ever get a chance to see anything from the National Film Board of Canada, please do so. I guarantee a darn good show. This outing takes its rightful place among the very best they have ever offered us. Wow!

"My Love" is wonderful display of Russian animation and follows a fairly interesting story line but it falls victim to being overly busy. This would not be a problem if it was in English, but the combination of trying to follow the breakneck pace while reading subtitles is daunting and exhausting. I can usually easily handle subtitles in film but not when it is necessary to pay such close attention to what is speeding by on the screen. It's a shame because the artwork is beautiful. Oh well.

"Peter & the Wolf" is a Polish entry featuring stop-motion animation that is very well done but the piece draws its greatness from the complexities of the facial expressions of its characters, both human and animal. This story has been told in numerous ways before but this is a particularly rewarding version of the tale. It actually brought me to the edge of my seat early on and kept me there throughout. I cared about the characters, no easy feat in a film that runs for only 29 minutes. This and "Madame Tutli-Putli" are the stars of this show.

Finally, we have the French "Even Pigeons go to Heaven". It is laugh out loud funny and features a main character that evokes sympathy and a bit of warmth. The ending is a little bit over the top but considering that it is all accomplished in an unbelievably short 9 minutes, who can complain? Just a lot of fun with some neat animation, especially the part where he is given a "tour" of what Heaven really looks like.

Push comes to shove and I'd opt for "Madame Tutli-Putli" but would have no quarrel with the Oscar going to "Peter & the Wolf".