#Nina Gantz

[moviemosaics]

Wander to Wonder

directed by Nina Gantz, 2023

[dweemeister]

Best Animated Short Film Nominees for the 97th Academy Awards (2025, listed in order of appearance in the shorts package)

This blog, since 2013, has been the site of my write-ups to the Oscar-nominated short film packages – a personal tradition for myself and for this blog. This omnibus write-up is done in memory of two now-shuttered theaters that were very important to this tradition – the Nickelodeon Theatre of Santa Cruz, California (2012 and 2013) and the Regency South Coast Village of Santa Ana, California (2014-2020, 2022-2024). 

If you are an American or Canadian resident interested in supporting the short film filmmakers in theaters (and you should, as very few of those who work in short films are as affluent as your big-name directors and actors), check your local participating theaters here.

Now, here are the nominees for the Best Animated Short Film at this year’s Oscars. In decades' past, this was a category that was the province of Walt Disney Animation, Warner Bros., and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Familiar names such as Tom and Jerry, Mickey Mouse, and various Looney Tunes characters populated the nominations and wins. With the shuttering of MGM and Warner Bros.' original animation studios and more recently the withdrawal of Disney and Pixar animated shorts from cinemas, this is among the most democratic of all Oscar categories.

The write-up for Live Action Short is coming soon (you can read my omnibus write-ups to Documentary Short here). Non-American films predominantly in a language other than English are listed with their nation(s) of origin.

Magic Candies (2024, Japan)

Based on Korean author Baek Hee-na’s picture book of the same name (and its prequel book, I Am a Dog), Magic Candies is the only entry among these five that hails from a major animation studio. Directed by Daisuke Nishio for Toei Animation, Magic Candies represents a radical aesthetic (CGI that appears to be stop-motion) and thematic departure from a studio best known for Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, Digimon, and One Piece. Curiously, it is a rare Japanese nominee in this category*. Dong-Dong is a lonely boy who plays marbles by himself, and often wishes he had someone to play with. After mistakenly purchasing colorful round candies thinking they were marbles, he begins to experience strange developments when sampling the candies. With the candy in his mouth, he is able to communicate with someone or something whose colors correspond with the candy – resulting in some of the most inventive and sublime visuals of this set. Magic Candies’ diversity of motion – from Dong-Dong’s face steaming like a locomotive, an anthropomorphic sofa, an elderly dog’s gait, and a flurry of autumn leaves – would be impressive regardless of whether this would be traditional cel animation, stop-motion, or CGI.

Though the film’s third candy should appear later in this work because of its emotional undercurrents, Magic Candies – which arms itself with the narrative logic of a fable – has a gentleness to it that never feels the need to proclaim its moral. If this was an American short film, it would likely engage in some high-octane hijinks in order to arrive to its conclusion. Instead, in Nishio’s Magic Candies, Dong-Dong learns how to be proactive, to not always assume people and things will always be the way they are. From there, the world – in all of its wonderful complexity – will open up to him. In a culture where individualism is subordinate to the collective, this is a remarkable film about how an individual learns how to communicate – not only to connect with others, but to enrich one’s own life.

My rating: 8/10

In the Shadow of the Cypress (2023, Iran)

In more than nine decades since this category was born, there have only been two nominees from Iran. Both have come in the last two years, with Our Uniform (2023) and Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi’s In the Shadow of the Cypress. Employing minimalistic hand-drawn design, the film opens somewhere in coastal Iran. A captain and his grown daughter live in a small shack. Sometimes, after an episode of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), he will retreat to his ramshackle wooden ship barely floating off the coast. There are some implications that the father been violent towards himself and his daughter for a while. But just before she decides to leave, a whale beaches close to home. Together, they attempt to help the whale back into the ocean, but the captain’s violent flashback to a moment during the Iran-Iraq War results in a panic attack (impactfully edited alongside its nightmarish visuals), and he retreats to his offshore ship to convalesce. The daughter, without any help from her father, attempts to save the whale – an obvious metaphor for the father's troubles, but an effective one nonetheless.

This film, which debuted at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival and qualified for the Academy Awards by winning Best Animated Short at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, began production in 2017 and perhaps encountered the most obstacles on its path to completion. The pandemic, Iran’s lack of reliable internet, international sanctions, and the theocratic government’s inability to support artists (all twelve animators on this project worked part-time) resulted in an environment that could have easily proven insurmountable to Sohani, Molayemi, and their team. All credit to them that it did not.

In interviews, Sohani and Molayemi note that that the visuals of the ocean, the beach, and the boat came before they finalized the story. Both co-directors’ fathers were veterans of the Iran-Iraq War, and the two wanted to honor them and the many voiceless Iranian veterans and their families – for whom they say Iran’s dictatorship has utterly failed, despite using militaristic iconography to legitimize their history and authority. In comparison to the other Iranian film at this year’s Academy Awards, In the Shadow of the Cypress avoids The Seed of the Sacred Fig’s (2024, Iran/Germany) morally absolutist ending. It does so by electing to show understanding and forgiveness for those who are in control of neither their past or present.

My rating: 8.5/10

Yuck! (2024, France)

As Yuck! (the first of three films in this category distributed by independent French studio Miyu Distribution) opens, we see numerous families enjoying their beachside summer holiday in southern France. Among the adults and teenagers, romance is in the air. Interrupting their public displays of affection are a coterie of children exclaiming “Beurk!” (“Yuck!” in French) at the sight of couples kissing – the French might be known for their game, but it appears that even French children believe in cooties. The film ultimately concentrates on two of those children: a boy named Léo and a girl named Lucie. Director-writer Loïc Espuche’s Yuck! never says how Léo, Lucie, and the others know each other – whether they are close friends or otherwise. But as the vacation draws on, Léo and Lucie start expressing interest in the other. The film’s simplified 2D backgrounds and details accentuates a character’s pink-glowing lips when they express such interest. Whether this is puppy love, a curiosity to try, or something deeper is not something that Espuche is interested in either.

Espuche (supervising animator on 2019’s Marona’s Fantastic Tale, a regrettably underseen film) came up with the idea of Yuck! (Beurk! as the original French title) when he screened his previous short film to a theater of children. In that film, during a scene when a departing soldier kisses his fiancée, the entire theater went beurk at the sight. Yuck!, like Magic Candies, is an emotional time capsule of a film that opens up memories on how viewers may have felt towards romance as children. But unlike Magic Candies, Yuck! has less to say about this aspect of growing up – of one’s first brush with romantic desire and mutual affection, and how exciting it feels before one learns about heartbreak. And as such, it makes the worst use of its thirteen minutes as the shortest short film among its nominees.

Surely, Yuck! would receive an extra point or two from me if the Messi and Ronaldo fans did the deed. We would have had world peace – guaranteed.

My rating: 7/10

Wander to Wonder (2023)

A Belgian, British, Dutch, and French, co-production from Miyu Distribution, director-writer Nina Gantz’s Wander to Wonder takes place in the shed/makeshift television studio of a fictional 1980s children’s puppet television show of the same name. The three puppets – Mary (Amanda Lawrence), Billybud (Terence Dunn, also the composer and Gantz’s husband), and Fumbleton (Toby Jones) – delight with the show’s human host, Uncle Gilly (Neil Salvage). In the film’s first third, the narrative is told through tapes of past shows. Abruptly, Gantz reveals that the beneath the puppet exteriors are sentient miniature humanoids and the footage in the film’s opening act is of Mary rewatching old VHS recordings of the show. Uncle Gilly has passed on suddenly, and it is unclear how long the three have been without the man who kept them all together.

Qualifying for the Academy Awards by winning Best International Short Film at Anima (a Brussels-based animation-only festival), Wander to Wonder mixes influences from the U.S. and Britain: Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, The Flumps, and The Wombles. There is some painstaking stop-motion work occurring here. Given how small Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton are, moving their eyelids or even their fingers requires incredible precision. Typically, stop-motion characters are larger than most viewers believe, but Gantz wanted to keep the Wander to Wonder trio life-sized (in this case, only a few inches tall). Their fluid movements seen across Wander to Wonder are striking to behold – and each of the three characters moves in their own way across a detailed, beautifully-lit set.

Principally, Wander to Wonder is a story of grief and how Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton respond in their own ways to Uncle Gilly’s death. Juxtaposed with the absurdity of Billybud and especially Fumbleton’s behavior, Wander to Wonder has a tragicomic tone that I admit is not to my tastes (Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared fans might say otherwise). But the underlying intent and its bittersweet, yet optimistic, ending is enough to overcome much of my trepidation towards it.

My rating: 8/10

Beautiful Men (2023, Belgium/France/Netherlands)

Another Belgian-Dutch-French co-production, another nomination for Miyu Distribution! Director-writer Nicolas Keppens’ Beautiful Men won the Alexeïeff – Parker Award at the 2024 Annecy Film Festival (the most prestigious animation-only film festival of all, located in the French Alpine resort town of the same name; this award is the equivalent of a Best Director) and qualified for the Oscars by winning Best Narrative Short at the Ottawa International Animation Festival shortly after. Here, we meet three bald or balding Flemish brothers – Steven, Bart, and Koen – as they travel to Turkey for hair transplants. Keppens gives the brothers roughly equal screentime, but the messy editing and narrative structure prevents the audience from learning more about each of the brothers beyond a single defining behavioral trait (Steven the aloof depressive, Bart the confrontational one who doesn’t necessarily believe in wearing pants, Koen the diplomatic glue holding their brotherly love together). Certain jokes fall flat because we have not spent enough time with our protagonists – the one in a bathroom stall in particular.

Compared to the two most recent animated shorts in this category that addressed aging – Late Afternoon (2017) and Mémorable (2019, France) – Beautiful Men adopts to perspective at mid-age. This is a worthy, undercovered area to explore in cinema, but Beautiful Men approaches the topic aimlessly. Nevertheless, Beautiful Men does approach its material with a unique sensitivity, potentially helped by the fact that Keppens, in a previous life, worked at an Istanbul hotel that had a close relationship with a hair clinic. It captures middle-aged men at a vulnerable juncture in life, but they are unable to articulate how that vulnerability pains them. That inability to express their pain renders all three brothers – unusual for a short film, animated or otherwise – as passive characters. Though the brothers (whose stylized round heads emphasize their follicle challenges) have traveled to Istanbul, they do not drive the plot as much as circumstance and dumb luck do – that is not screenwriting expediency, but a keen observation from Keppens. Similarly, there is minimal character growth here. That is by design, emblematic of this moment in their lives.

My rating: 7.5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog. Half-points are always rounded down.

* Though Japan has a reputation as an animation hub, it has had very little representation in Best Animated Short Film. Previous Japanese nominees have included: Mt. Head (2002), La Maison En Petits Cubes (2008; the sole winner), and Possessions (2013) – none of which are in the style of traditional anime. I suspect that the television-heavy market for original video animation (OVA) has rendered some potential contenders as ineligible (movies that debut on television are ineligible for Academy Awards).

From previous years: 

85th Academy Awards (2013) 87th (2015) 88th (2016) 89th (2017) 90th (2018) 91st (2019) 92nd (2020) 93rd (2021) 94th (2022) 95th (2023) 96th (2024)

There were no honorable mentions provided alongside the nominees this year, as has occurred in most years.

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

[randomrichards]

2025 ACADEMY AWARDS: BEST ANIMATED SHORT

BEST ANIMATED SHORT:

BEAUTIFUL MEN

In 2021, brother Steven (Tom Diwispelaere) Koen (Peter De Graef) and Bart (Peter Van den Begin) travel to Istanbul to get hair transplants. Unfortunately, a mishap results in only one appointment being booked. Now the neurotic Steven, nerdy Koen and distant Bart have confront their issues with each other as they choose which one will take the appointment.

Kaufman-esque is the perfect word to describe Beautiful Men. The stop motion animation bears resemblance to Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa both style and tone. This short film also shares Kaufman’s trademark melancholy humour and exploration of human psychology. In this case, writer/director Nicolas Keppens explores male insecurity.

To be honest, the short doesn’t say much about the subject. Bart is the only one who gets a clear arc. He spends most of the short trying to call his wife Lindsay (Laure Van Medegael). His issues come to a head when he overhears Steven say what he really thinks of him. It doesn’t help that the short ends with a deux ex machina that solves their problems.

There are some very funny scenes in this short. One sees Steven checking Bart’s balls for a lump in a public restroom. Another sees Bart accidentally going through an emergency exit naked. As with Kaufman, the humour of this short is an acquired taste.

Beautiful Men is the weakest of the animated shorts. While it does deliver some laughs and has great stop motion animation, the story needed to be reworked to establish arcs for the other brothers.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS

From Iran comes In the Shadow of the Cypress, a devastating tale of a troubled father, his daughter and a beached whale.

A shipwreck leaves a father and daughter stranded on a beach, forced to take shelter in an abandoned house. The Father’s PTSD causes him to have violent outbursts, which terrifies the daughter. When the daughter finds a beached whale, the father is forced to confront the traumatic moment that damaged him as they try to save the whale.

Of all the animated shorts nominated this year, In the Shadow of the Cypress was the hardest to watch. Writers/directors Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani make it very challenging to empathize with the father as we witness his violent outbursts. The film begins with him smashing his own head into a mirror. You can’t help but side with the daughter when she packs her bags. His inability to get the whale back in the ocean only aggravates his symptoms further, leading to an unsettling scene where his attempt to hammer a nail becomes more violent. It’s very uncomfortable.

In between these outbursts shows the guilt-ridden man paralyzed by his trauma. Being stranded on an island leaves him with no means of coping with his trauma in a healthy manner, creating a Jekyll/Hyde situation. Molayemi and Sohani gives the audience visual clues across the short before revealing the traumatic event through devastating flashbacks and flashes resembling woodcut drawings.

The short is hard to watch but it’s also the most beautifully animated among the short films. Molayemi and Sohani presents a simple animation style that makes an eye catching sun lit beach side. They also visual symbols for emotional moods. The father’s skin turns blue when his PTSD takes over. When his daughter leaves, the father turns into petals that hugs daughter. His daughter melts like ice cream when she gives her father the cold shoulder. It works thanks to the short’s simple animation style and the directors intricate visual storytelling.

Molayemi and Sohani holds nothing back in their portrayal of PTSD and its effects on loved ones.

MAGIC CANDIES

Toei Animation, the studio behind One Piece, Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball adapts stories by Heena Baek to create a coming of age story about boy who gains the ability to hear new voices thanks to a bag of colourful candies.

Dong-Dong (Haruto Shima) doesn’t have an easy life. None of the boys play with him. His dog Gusuri doesn’t want to walk with him. His Father (Ikkei Watanabe) is very critical and demanding. The only joy in his life is his solo games of marbles.  When he heads to the store to buy new marbles, he instead buys a bag of colourful marble-shaped candies. He tries the plaid-coloured candy, and suddenly the couch starts talking. It turns out the candies give him the ability to hear voices from whatever shares the candy’s colour. The result is 20 unforgettable minutes of side splitting and emotional shenanigans.

Screenwriter Ichiro Takano makes the most of the 6 candies provided, each one with their own creative abilities. It leads to some funny moments including one where the couch (Hiroshi Iwasaki) asking Dong-Dong to tell his father to stop farting on him. For the most part, these candies result in heartfelt moments that teach Dong-Dong a lesson in perspective and communication. The most powerful is when Dong-Dong tires one that lets him hear his emotionally distant father say I Love You. You may cry watching Dong-Dong hug his father.[1]

Toei Animation have long proved exceptional at bringing a manga’s animation style to life for decades. Director Daisuke Nishio himself has been directing since the original Dragon Ball, .But Baek’s carving models that make up her illustrations forces them to go a different direction than their usual hand drawn animation. Nishio brings Baek’s style to life using a CGI animation style designed to look like stop motion animation. They create many beautiful background, especially a park in autumn when Dong-Dong watches the leaves fall. They also get some cartoony images like having Dong-Dong shoot steam out his ears and nose when he tries the first candy. There are also moments when Dong Dong sees letters fly in the sky. It’s especially moving when Dong Dong see the words “I love you” float from the father’s back while he’s doing dishes.

Magic Candies is a delightful fantasy that delivers eye catching animation and a valuable lesson for children and adults.

WANDER TO WONDER

Those who love pitch black British comedy will get a real kick out of Wander to Wonder.

the titular 80s British children’s show centred on the kind-hearted Uncle Gilly (Neil Savage) and 3 miniature Wookie like creatures[2] named Mary (Amanda Lawrence), Fumbleton (Toby Jones) and Billybud (Terence Dunn). Cut to the present day where Uncle Gilly’s corpse lies in a decaying studio. It turns out the creatures are actually tiny people wearing costumes, and they are have been stranded in the studio for a while. As they struggle to survive, each cope in their own way. The pompous Shakespearean Fumbleton deludes himself into playing a warrior. Manchild Billybud practices juggling anything he can get his hands on. Mary tries to maintain the illusion of a domestic life while rewatching taped episodes of the show.

Wander to Wonder bears some resemblance to Raymond Brigg’s anti-war black comedy When the Wind Blows. Both have droll British comedy stemming from the main characters trying to maintain a routine life in the face of catastrophe. Mary in particular tries her best to maintain the façade of a normal life by having the three of them eat at the dinner table (even if their meals are either pickles or dead flies). Both present unflinching portrayals of decay. The trio are surrounded by rusted equipment, a dead body and flies galore. At one point, they have to break a glass of pickles to get anything to eat.

There are differences between them, Wander To Wonder uses stop motion animation style in contrast to When the Wind Blows combines live action and hand drawn animation. The former’s animation style is a blend of the Road and the Borrowers. The animators find creative ways for the trio to use regular objects, including stacking video tapes so they can look through the door window. In contrast the unapologetically bleak When the Wind Blows, Wander to Wonder ends on a hopeful note. An ambiguous note but one that offers hope for the trio

 Director Nina Gantz offers a few hilarious moments. Fumbleton appears on a recording with no pants, letting out his little shortcomings. The trio records an episode warning kids not to eat flies after they tried them for dinner. Billybud’s attempts to juggle matches results in the set being lit.

Wander for Wonder is an acquired taste for those who love dark British humour and are willing to sit through bleak moments of decay.

YUCK!

Writer/director Loic Espuche takes us back to a time in childhood when we were grossed out by kisses in the nostalgia comedy Yuck!

Espuche takes us into a world where people’s lips glow pink and glittery when they fall for someone. Such a sight grosses out the little kids at a campground. It doesn’t stop them from eavesdropping on couples kissing. Among them is Leo (Noe Chabbat) who is vacationing with his family. Suddenly his own lips start glowing, especially at sight of little red haired girl Lucie (Katel Varat).

Leo delivers an accurate depiction of a child experiencing infatuation for the first time. He finds romance gross because that’s what the other kids think. So, when his lips starts glowing, he is confused by his emotions. Like most kids, he neither recognizes nor understands his emotions. In fear of being picked on by the other kids, he tries to hide the glow from them. It leads to him lashing out in private by kicking flowers. Then one night, he comes to understand that these feelings are normal when he sees the tents glow pink.

Yuck! Is the most adorable of the animated shorts nominated this year. It’s amusing to see kids being grossed out by the sight of kissing, saying it should be a crime for old people to be kissing. It works thanks to the performances of the child actors who make their characters feel like real children. The simple animation style adds to the adorability with a simple style.

Espuche draws from common childhood memories of summer vacations. Some moviegoers may recognize eavesdropping on adults, racing to the water slide and driving your parents crazy by teasing your siblings instead of sleeping. Composer Alienor Doublet add to the nostalgia with a synthetic score that feels like a trip down memory lane.

Yuck! Is a lighthearted nostalgia trip centred on discovering affection for the first time.

Who Will Win?

The clear winner is Magic Candies.

With no Disney/Pixar short nominated, the winner is often adaptations of children’s books. Examples include The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Hair Love and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Magic Candies also has the advantage made by a well established studio like Toei Animation. This studio has been making anime movies and shows since the 50s and it has made some of the iconic franchises in Japanese entertainment.

There’s also the added challenge of Toei Animation stepping outside of its comfort zone, which they pull off beautifully. Toei Animation proved themselves just as effective with CGI as they are with hand drawn animation.

Like the best children stories, Magic Candies delivers an entertaining story that balances creative ideas, with memorable characters and valuable life lessons.

[1] It would have been great if his father learned not to be so demanding of his son and open up more.

[2] Those costumes look so creepy with their styles.

[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

The Oscars "Animated Short Film" Nominees, 2025.

One Mann's Movies Review of the Animated Short Films from the 2025 Oscars, being announced on March 2nd.

A One Mann’s Movies review of the nominations for the Oscars in the “Animated Short Film” Category. I’ve not done separate reviews for these Oscar “Animated Short” nominees but am including brief reviews for them in this one post. Beautiful Men (2023). Bob the Movie Man Rating: Plot Summary: The insecurities of three bald brothers intensify during their stay in an Istanbul hotel for hair…

[roundaboutnow]

If you ever get a chance to watch this short film, do it!!

It reminds me of Welcome Home, Brigsby Bear, The Littles, and Fraggle Rock.

If I can ever figure out where to watch it again, I'll do it in a heartbeat! ...and try to come up with an actual analysis.

Lovely, eerie, hopeful, disturbing. I loved it.

[jontheblogcentric]

Oscars 2024 Short Films Review: Animation

Normally each year when they show the reel of the nominated films for Best Animated Short Film, there’s normally enough time in the reel to include one or two films that made the shortlist. This year’s crop of nominees are so long, their combined time length is enough to make for the whole reel! Makes sense. Each film does tell an awful lot in their time. It may be humorous or it may be serious.…

[rosannejanssens]

This was working on Wander to Wonder by Nina Gantz. I had so much fun with Mary, trying to get all of these little movements and twitches right.

Thank you Nina, for the memorable and inspiring experience.

And big news: Wander to Wonder just got nominated for an Oscar!

[geekpopnews]

Oscar 2025 | In the Shadow of the Cypress ganha como Melhor Curta-Metragem de Animação

In the Shadow of the Cypress leva o Oscar 2024 de Melhor Curta-Metragem de Animação. Mostrando que até mesmo curtas conseguem fazer uma excelente história. #Oscar2025

Na 97ª edição do Oscar, realizada em 2 de março de 2025, a categoria de Melhor Curta-Metragem de Animação destacou-se por sua diversidade e inovação, celebrando narrativas que exploram temas profundos através de técnicas variadas de animação. Indicados: “Wander to Wonder”, Dirigido por Nina Gantz, este curta holandês utiliza animação em stop-motion para narrar a jornada introspectiva de uma…

[avecesveopelis]

Los 4 mejores cortos de animación del Festival Internacional de Cine de Guadalajara 39

Las proyecciones de cortometrajes animados en festivales son la oportunidad perfecta para apreciar una variada gama de posibilidades cinematográficas, gracias a que el corto animado es quizá la forma más libre de producir cine; principalmente porque no existe el factor de lo comercial, los realizadores están abiertos a tocar cualquier tema y sumado a la facilidad con que el medio permite alejarse de lo real, estos ingredientes permiten que al salir de la sala nos quedemos con gratas sorpresas. En esta ocasión la edición 39 del Festival Internacional de Cine de Guadalajara nos presentó una selección abundante de animación europea de alta calidad, afortunadamente, también destacan piezas de otras regiones del mundo, que sin alejarse de una opinión personal, aquí se hacen mención.

Dar Saaye Sarv (En la sombra del Ciprés). 2023. Shirin Sohani, Hossein Molayemi. Irán

La presentación del corto es un deleite visual, aun con su simplicidad llena de texturas y personajes sintéticos se nos permite adentrarnos en el drama de un conflicto universal, como es el distanciamiento entre una joven y su padre; pero sin perder la visión de un país, cuya historia aún está marcada por demasiados eventos bélicos. El papá es un ex-capitán de guerra que sufre estrés postraumático y vive apegado al barco que alguna vez dirigió, mientras su hija trata de salvar a una ballena que encalló en la playa donde viven. La narrativa se apoya en las metáforas visuales para construir emociones e incluso hacernos sentir en el campo de batalla, como cuando una parvada de gaviotas cruza el cielo llenando la pantalla amenazantemente, haciéndonos pensar en aviones de combate. La dupla Sohani-Molayemi no desaprovecha ningún elemento visual para dotarlo de carga dramática y significativa, dejándonos una animación que logra conmover a todo tipo de público. 

Sopa Fria. 2023. Marta Monteiro. Portugal, Francia

Esta pieza es una denuncia social, lo que le da un valor de imperdible, muy necesario para hablar y visibilizar la violencia doméstica contra la mujer. La narrativa es presentada en forma de testimonio e ilustrada con imágenes, que con todos sus elementos, crean una propuesta particular que caracteriza al estilo visual de la directora e ilustradora Marta Monteiro. Usa el Collage como base para construir espacios abstractos pero que representan claramente el escenario doméstico, la animación 2D con personajes sin rostro, resueltos con una línea fina nos dan la universalidad de la problemática, el reiterado recurso del agua ahogando a la protagonista logra generar la empatía y seriedad que requiere el tema. Finalmente, uno de los valores más destacados del corto es que nos deja una sensación de esperanza, con un final que conecta significativamente con el título de la película.

Un trou dans la poitrine (Un agujero en el pecho). 2023. Alexandra Myotte, Jean-Sébastien Hamel. Canadá

Esta obra en un principio parece un drama adolescente que recuerda a shows de televisión de los noventa, con el clásico estilo visual de línea negra y plasta de color saturada, agregado al argumento que aborda la iniciación sexual; sin embargo, conforme avanza el cortometraje se torna más profundo y emotivo. El filme construye a sus personajes a través de la imaginación, ahí es donde la dirección le saca provecho a la animación: ante los ojos de Theo, el hermano pequeño, la realidad está plagada de seres mitológicos; mientras la hermana (Zoe) es acechada por una criatura que representa un miedo que se devela hacia el final. Los pasajes entre lo onírico y lo real también son flashbacks, construyendo una narrativa compleja, visualmente dinámica y atractiva, dando demasiada libertad al espectador de construir el conflicto de los hermanos, pero la estructura es tan sólida que no quedan cabos sueltos, sin la posibilidad de perderse en otras interpretaciones de la historia.

Wander to Wonder. 2023. Nina Gantz. Países Bajos, Bélgica, Francia

Con su cortometraje estudiantil, Edmond, Nina Gantz fue ganadora de Sundance y los premios BAFTA, ahora con esta nueva pieza nos demuestra las habilidades narrativas de una directora consolidada. En Wander to Wonder nos cuenta la historia de tres actores humanos miniatura que intentan sobrellevar la muerte del presentador del programa de televisión en el que actuaban; desde este planteamiento argumental, el recurso de la animación es empleado como un elemento narrativo intrínseco, es decir, los puppets del Stop Motion son seres humanos diminutos viviendo en nuestra realidad, sin permitir que el espectador se cuestione la existencia de estos seres. Aunque el concepto no es innovador, sí se le da un giro distinto, construye a personajes con un conflicto interno por encima del conflicto externo que implica sobrevivir en un mundo de gigantes. Todo esto se nos presenta de manera sutil, emplea recursos del montaje contrastando fragmentos del programa de T.V. que alguna vez se transmitió, con las grabaciones que ahora realizan los protagonistas, donde de pronto, moscas enormes invaden la imagen (porque el cadáver del presentador está en la misma habitación), mientras los pequeños protagonistas hacen el show a su manera esperando mantener vivo lo que evidentemente ya no está. La obra nos deja una sensación agridulce combinando con maestría el drama y la comedia. 

[nofatclips]

Manivald, a film by Chintis Lundgren

[couleurlocale]

<3

[helloyoucreatives]

The WHISKAS® brand wants to make cats and their parents happy through its new Purr More global brand campaign which launched today in Russia, the rest of the world to follow.  The first of its kind advertising campaign features a suite of films from Bafta-winning animator and director Nina Gantz and original Cat music from National Symphony Cellist and “Animal Composer” David Teie created especially for cats – but can also be enjoyed by their humans. The campaign comes to life through a strong social media strategy that targets cat parents in the main platforms.

“As any cat parent knows, getting a purr from your cat is the highest praise you could earn. We believe that happy cats make happy humans, so we’re delighted to launch a WHISKAS® campaign that creates more purrs all round” said Jane Wakely Mars Petcare CMO. “Purr More is a great example of how we’re innovating and utilizing digital and technology to put pet parents at the heart of our Purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.”

Created by AMV BBDO for the WHISKAS® brand, each film takes us inside a cat’s imagination to better understand what happens when they purr. The scenarios were built from things cats love, such as cardboard boxes, wool, and laundry and each asset contains a unique brand mnemonic precisely designed to appeal to the felines. Teie’s work has been scientifically proven by the Journal of Feline Medicine to reduce cat’s stress levels.*

“Cats listen to sounds at different frequencies to humans, so we’ve created a piece of music that appeals to their unique audio range,” said Teie of the mnemonic.

[hagal-autorska-galeria]

Pierwsza wiosenna pełnia ... U mnie minęła dość " Normalnie " A u Was ?????? ............ The first spring full moon ... For me it's been quite "Normally" And you ?????? P. S. Zdjęcie pochodzi z Sesji " Bal i to Bal nie byle jaki , Bal z .....Mistrza i Małgorzaty " PRF -2014 . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Modelka + Stylizacja : Agnieszka RS MUA : Agnieszka Rosa ---- Model po lewej Jacek Gantz MUA : Nina Garncarczyk ------------ Model po prawej + Stylizacja : Michał Skotnicki ----------------------------------------- Sesja odbyła się w dniu 12.10.2014 Miejsce : Centrum na Pięknej *********************************************** Prezentowana praca jest wynikiem współpracy PRF : https://www.facebook.com/groups/PRFgrupa/ ************************* ********************************** Foto : Dariusz Ciszkiewicz -> http://www.facebook.com/Hagal.Autorska.Galeria ---------------------------------- https://www.instagram.com/p/CM9b49YHYfK/?igshid=r79aazyw031v

[randomrichards]

WANDER TO WONDER:

3 children’s show starts

Trapped in an old studio

When creator dies

[recentanimenews]

Manga the Week of 5/12/21

SEAN: Happy Mother’s Day! Let’s look for some manga that you can safely show to Mom.

Airship has two early digital releases, Adachi & Shimamura 5 and Failure Frame 2.

Debuting in print is Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist. And we get the 2nd Muscles Are Better Than Magic as well.

ASH: I didn’t pick it up digitally, but am still vaguely intrigued by Drugstore in Another World.

MELINDA: I’m intrigued by the title alone.

SEAN: Dark Horse has a 6th omnibus volume for Gantz.

J-Novel Club has a few digital manga titles that I missed last time that are out this week. Apologies to An Archdemon’s Dilemma 5, Bibliophile Princess 2, and Record of Wortenia War 2. This is the danger of not adding “LLC” to your searches.

ASH: It can make a difference.

SEAN: As for this week, in terms of manga we have Ascendance of a Bookworm 7 and Mapping 2.

In terms of digital light novels, we get The Greatest Magicmaster’s Retirement Plan 9 and In Another World with My Smartphone 22.

Kodansha has a few print volumes next week. We get Don’t Toy with me, Miss Nagatoro 7, Sachi’s Monstrous Appetite 2, and Yuzu the Pet Vet 5.

MICHELLE: I still need to check out Yuzu.

ASH: I’ll have to admit the same.

MELINDA: And I.

SEAN: Digitally the debut is The Springtime of My Life Began with You (Kimi to Aoi Haru no Hajimari), a shoujo title from Dessert. The author’s had a lot of titles out over here, some from Kodansha (The Dorm of Love and Secrets, The Prince’s Romance Gambit) and some via Media Do’s many and varied company names (Heart Break Club). A popular guy is forced, as a punishment game, to ask out the quiet, shy girl in front of the whole class. The trouble is… he insists he really likes her!

ANNA: Those popular guys and their shenanigans!

MICHELLE: I know this concept is not the greatest, but I think the cover is pretty and enjoyed The Dorm of Love and Secrets, so I’ll be giving this a shot.

SEAN: We also get Ace of the Diamond 32, My Roomie Is a Dino 5, Nina the Starry Bride 2, Peach Boy Riverside 7, Saint Young Men 12, and Those Snow White Notes 4, voted “series most likely to get behind on” by Manga Bookshelf.

ANNA: I haven’t read the first volume so I’m sure I’m behind.

MICHELLE: Gah, so behind. It’s coming out especially quickly for some reason! I’m also in need of a mini-marathon on Ace of the Diamond.

SEAN: One Peace has the 2nd volume of isekai harem title Farming Life in Another World.

Seven Seas has FOUR debuts next week. We’ll start with My Alcoholic Escape from Reality (Genjitsu Touhi Shitetara Boroboro ni Natta Hanashi), the latest biographical manga from the creator of My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, which promises to be as riveting as the previous book’s she’s given us. It ran in Matogrosso, put out by small publisher East Press.

ANNA: Oh wow.

ASH: They’re good but hard-hitting manga.

SEAN: Ride Your Wave (Kimi to, Nami ni Noretara) is a one-volume manga adaptation of the movie of the same name, and ran in Shogakukan’s Deluxe Betsucomi.

MICHELLE: Hm. It’s sports-adjacent, seems like.

SEAN: School Zone Girls is a title from Mag Garden’s MagComi about two troublemaking girls who’ve been together forever, but are they more than just friends? This seems to emphasize the comedy over the yuri.

Lastly, we get Thigh High: Reiwa Hanamaru Academy (Reiwa Hanamaru Gakuen), a Kodansha title from good! Afternoon, and is about an all-girls school… populated entirely by gorgeous crossdressing men. This one also seems to emphasize the comedy.

ASH: This could be hilariously good or hilariously bad – I’m not sure that I can resist finding out which.

MELINDA: I really don’t know what to expect from this.

SEAN: Also out: Dungeon Builder 4 and Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! 5.

Square Enix debuts I Think Our Son Is Gay (Uchi no Musuko wa Tabun Gay), a Gangan Pixiv title about a mom who has realized that her son is keeping a secret. This is supposed to be very good.

ANNA: I’m curious.

MICHELLE: Same.

ASH: Really looking forward to this one.

MELINDA: I’m excited to read this one!

SEAN: They also have By the Grace of the Gods’ 2nd manga volume.

SuBLime wins the title of the week competition with the debut of Dick Fight Island (8nin no Senshi), a long-running title from Libre Shuppan’s Be x Boy Gold. The synopsis… is pretty much not work safe, but can probably be guessed from the title.

ANNA: I don’t think anyone could buy that manga and be confused about what they’re getting.

MICHELLE: Snerk.

ASH: I likewise suspect that it is unlikely.

MELINDA: I mean. Well.

SEAN: They also have Vol. 2 of Don’t Be Cruel: plus+.

Speaking of BL, Tokyopop has a one-shot title, The Treasure of the King and the Cat (Ou to Neko no Himitsu), about a king investigating a series of disappearances who gets caught up in magic.

They also have Ossan Idol 3.

No debuts for Viz, but we get Fly Me to the Moon 5, Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition 13, Pokemon Sun & Moon 10, Rin-Ne 39, Splatoon 12, A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow 7, and Yo-Kai Watch 17.

ASH: Some great ongoing series in that list!

SEAN: That’s it. See anything maternal? I Think Our Son Is Gay looks like the best choice. I’d avoid Dick Fight Island. Unless your mom loves BL.

By: Sean Gaffney

[ozetamag]

2D Animation Reel from Terri Matthews on Vimeo.

*Updated April 2019*

. Contact details ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Terri Matthews 2D Animator linkedin.com/in/terri-matthews terrimatthews@outlook.com

. The Wrong End of the Stick (2016) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 00:00

vimeo.com/178512561

MA Directing Animation graduation film from the National Film & Television School.

A darkly comic film made using a mixed technique of live action backgrounds with practical effects, visual effects, digital 2D hand-drawn character animation and rotoscope in TVPaint. Making the film involved directing a live action crew and managing a modest team of Animators and Assistants.

Awards: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ HPFF 2019 • Special Mention for Animation: Best Artistic Contribution

Nachtschatten Film Festival 2018 • Best Short Film

Sapporo Short Fest 2017 • Best Student Director

Animator Festival 2017 • Best Student Film

London Comedy Film Festival 2017 • Discovery Short Film Award

Animation Dingle 2017 • Best International Student Short Film • Runner Up: Best Combined Animation

Atlanta Film Festival 2017 • Honourable Mention for Animated Short

Underwire Festival 2016 • Best Animator Award

Indie Memphis 2016 • Audience Award: Best Departures Short Film

Spark Animation 2016 • Jury Special Mention: Bravery Award

Anilogue 2016 • Jury's Special Award .

Nominations: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 44th Annie Awards 2017 • Best Student Film

British Independent Film Awards 2016 • Best British Short

. The Four Tendencies (2019) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 00:46

youtu.be/QmpWW-KibOo&t=10s

Animated short for the RSA directed by Jac Clinch.

• Traditional and symbol animation using Flash/Animate CC

. Accord: We Make it Better (2019) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 01:20

Internal explainer for Accord Healthcare, working under Creative Director Chris Randall at Second Home Studios.

• Designed using Photoshop CC • Animatic built and animated using Adobe Animate CC • Supervised three remote Animators

. Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks (2016) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 01:39

Flash Animator for six lost episodes of Doctor Who for BBC Worldwide. Episodes were recreated in animation guided by restored audio tracks.

• Animated cut-out style characters using Flash CS4 • Puppet construction and asset creation

. Shell: Ludicrous Analogies (2018) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 02:01

youtu.be/tNNrxbjbS2Q youtu.be/ZsaIkmDwqaQ youtu.be/B1AMtQSHKQw

Three short films exploring alternative fuels for Shell directed by Matthew Walker at Aardman.

• Traditional and symbol animation using Flash/Animate CC • Created animated assets for the Animators and Compositors

. Edmond (2015) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 02:21

vimeo.com/172911816

Lead 2D Animator for multi-award winning animated graduation film, including Sundance, Annecy and BAFTA, directed by Nina Gantz.

• Animated characters' expressions and lip sync in TVPaint to be composited onto stop motion animated puppets • Supervised small team of Animation Assistants

.