Articles of War

Articles of War is, I have to admit, one of the best animated short films not produced by a major studio I have ever seen (and as you know, here at the Old Kuriosiatas Shop, we are big fans, so that is saying something).

The story follows a young American fighter pilot in the Second World War who has the awful task of leading bomber missions over occupied Europe and in to the heart of Germany. There, with the flick of a switch, he rains death down to to the hapless German population.

He writes a letter home to his father - a veteran of the Great War - in which he voices his disquiet about his actions. It may turn out to be the last letter he ever writes.  Guaranteed, you will be drawn in to this from the start - it is engrossing, profound and heartfelt.  You can't say that of many live action films, let alone animations.

Beautifully made, this is directed and written by sel-confessed film fanatic Daniel Kanemoto who has been working with animation for over a decade (and has been featured before here at Kuriositas).  The music is composed by Ryan Shore whose work has included Prime starring Meryl Streep and the Bill Murray vehicle Scout's Honor. Edited by Jeff  Yorkes (who has a cool website) with storyboards by Robert Vargas.

The voice of the airman is provided by Clay Adams (left) who has a diverse acting portfolio of work but whose face is probably best known as that of Lloyd, the Lakeview bartender in As The World Turns.

You can read more about the making of Articles of War here.Please go and take a look if you want to see more about how this wonderful and engrossing animated short film was made.

The Grand Old Duke of York as Steampunk Megalomaniac

If you like your nursery rhymes at their darkest then you will like this version of The Grand Old Duke of York.  It is the university thesis of Daniel Boyle who studied at Kingston University in the UK and is now part of the Treat Studios Collective of animators.  He admits himself that it is now rather old but I love the more traditional forms of animation used here as well as the extended visual metaphor he uses to take the nursery rhyme in to a different definition of itself.

From a nursery rhyme come action song in to a powerful anti-war statement via the power of animation.  This is at the same time an ambitious undertaking but also the power is in the simplicity of the idea, with the Grand Old Duke himself portrayed as some sort of steampunk megalomaniac creating his soldiers as toys and sending them in to battle.  The reality of the situation is however, vividly illustrated at the point at which casualties of war start to occur.

I don't want to contradict the creator of this piece so I will say, yes, perhaps this animation is now old in terms of the techniques used to create it.  However, its underlying message has lost none of its power. Like the best of animation, time shall not weary it.