Out of a Forest

At certain times of the year families get together, sit around a table and eat and talk. Such is the case with this extended family of rabbits but there is danger lurking in the background…

This is Tobias Gundorff Boesen’s Bachelor film from The Animation Workshop. It is set to the song "Slow Show" by The National, who were kind enough to allow him to use their music (well it makes for a very memorable promo after all!). It is a non-commercial short film, intended for festivals – and it has won many!.

It was shot in the forests surrounding Viborg, Denmark. Boesen’s main inspiration was Victorian literature, and "Boxer" by The National. It was painful to finish, as shooting stop motion in the forest at night for longer periods turned out to offer a lot of problems. I think (or hope!) that you will agree that is was worth all the effort.  Plus I love the surprise ending!

Wolf

A friend of mine once put lyncanthropy down on his return to work form as the reason for his period off sick.  He got away with (much to general mirth and merriment among his colleagues) it but it is an affliction (albeit fictional) which must be both terrible and exhilarating at the same time.  I think this animated short, Wolf, captures the change, and its endless repetitive cycle, really well here with the horror and the joy both expressed in momentary glimpses.  It’s a great addition to the werewolf canon.

Wolf (entitled Úlfur from the Icelandic) is a project by Héctor Zafra and Santi Amézqueta of Ciervo Alto, a Barcelona based animation studio. It is the result of 3 people who met in the animation school and decided to create their own company – this was their first animated venture together.

Wolfsong

Are you of a mind to take to a corner and have a quiet little weep but need something to precipitate that lachrymose moment? Then get ready to claim that junction at which your walls meet and when people ask just point to your PC or laptop or mobile device, indicate play should be pressed and spread the tears: there are, after all, four corners in every room.

OK, that may have been a little glib but as someone who, as a child, had to be removed from a cinema when Bambi’s mother bought the farm, Wolfsong really did impact on me. I think it must be some form of protective mechanism whereby I have to make fun of myself for my inclination to weepiness every time an animal dies on film.  Wolfsong did it for me, though: there is even a Lion King sky moment at the end which will do nothing to halt the waterworks, believe me.

Wolfsong, written and directed by CalArts student Toniko Pantoja, is a Bambi in reverse in as much as it is not the mother but the child which has died.  A wolf, desperate for the return of her beloved cub, risks her life in a rescue attempt.  Yet, even though the cub is long since dead, she persists.  Watch and weep, kids, watch and weep.

Little Red

You may be suffering from fairy tale reinvention fatigue at the moment what with TV series and movies being released on a seemingly weekly basis which regurgitate old stories in to various different but not necessarily new contexts. However, before you shrug your shoulders in agreement and go elsewhere, give Little Red a chance.  This is now Hollywood backed blockbuster with cynical intentions towards your wallet or purse. 

Little Red has been created by a new animation partnership from Upstart Films, Silsoe Mouse.  This team comprises Ben Turner who directs and Pascal Bideau who composes the music.  Together they have created this visual feast which takes a slightly different approach to the legend of Little Red Riding Hood.  Hang on till the end where Bideau’s talents truly come to the fore with some music that will stay in your head longer than you probably want it to!

Red

Red is an unusual take on a story we all know (and possibly love) – that of Little Red Riding Hood.  We are used to see the wolf as a villain but here he is a love lorn boy who desperately wants Little Red Riding Hood to reciprocate his feelings but cannot express himself very well at all.

Appropriately enough, the whole animated short is washed through with the color red.  I also like the way that elements of this have a very rough feel to them – particularly the rabbit unicorn rabbit.

This is the 3rd year Calarts film by Hyunjoo Song with music provided by Steve Mahpar.