OH, YES...

JUST A LITTLE.

by Hunter Jon

Animation comes in many different forms. It also comes in a variety of lengths. A lot of the best filmmaking I’ve ever seen has been in short form animation.

One could argue that animation in general is the purest (and hardest) form of visual storytelling, as you not only have to create every frame, but everything that exists within that frame. No cartoon lamp post was just there to begin with for you to point your camera at - it had to be consciously created.

Others could argue that ‘short films’ of any kind have a purity to their plots that you can’t find in feature length fare. You’re not writing to qualify as anything so-called traditional. In other words, no page count has to be met in order for it to ‘count’. So, ideally, you end up with stories that are exactly as long as they need to be.

Combine the two arguments and you’re really making a case for animated shorts being the only form of filmmaking that truly knows no bounds. And therefore having the ability to be the best kinds of movies out there. Which is why it’s such a shame that so many of them go unwatched and/or under-appreciated. Perhaps this is because most people don’t know what they’re missing or simply where to start.

So, in an effort to spread the word, here’s a random assortment of animated bits and pieces that I personally adore.

ALPHABUDDIES: CAT (2015)

This quick gem was made by the late Blair Kitchen. It’s a true testament to his talent as an animator and a storyteller. I really wish he’d gotten to make many more. To enjoy more of his work, head on over to possumpress.com.

THE PERFECT HUMAN: CARTOON (2003)

It’s my favourite of the five obstructions… or variants… or whatever you call them. Made even more admirable when you know how much the director hates animation and struggled to churn this one out.

AN OPTICAL POEM (1938)

One of the definitive “experimental animated shorts” out there, and it earns that title in every way. The only thing more impressive than the short itself is that it was financed and distributed by the zeitgeist that was MGM. Good on them.

GERI’S GAME (1997)

A concept as simple as it is clever, which is to say extremely. You quickly forget that there is no actual actor on display, just brilliant animation. It was nice to see Geri again in “Toy Story 2”.

THE WRONG TROUSERS (1993)

As I kid, it was the perfect piece of entertainment. Looking at it now, it’s nearly impossible to conceive of how they pulled off the technical aspects of this. But they did. And they managed to do so without ever distracting from their characters’ charm.

the FOUR ROOMS (1995) title sequence

Obviously a shameless homage to the “Pink Panther” openings. But, given what a macabre, outside-the-box flick this is, this sequence comes as such a strange surprise. And one that ends up doing the audience a big favour in establishing Ted; Roth’s performance doesn’t seem nearly as over-the-top if you think of him as having just stepped out of a cartoon.

the HEARTLESS (2009) music video

Kanye West rarely does what people expect of him, for better or worse. This one was for the better, by far. And rotoscoping was the right way to go about it. I don’t believe any animator, no matter how skilled, could have captured the essence of West’s body language on their own. 

THE DANISH POET (2006)

Sometimes you admire/enjoy something so much that you have very little to say about it beyond: I love it. Everything about it. So much. I long for love like this.

BRING ME THE HEAD OF CHARLIE BROWN (1986)

Apparently, you don’t need to resemble the polished, colourful look of what you’re parodying to deliver the goods. As long as the spirit of the source is there. This manages to be even funnier than its title… and it’s a pretty funny title.

ONE SMALL STEP (2018)

Any story of hard work paying off is inspiring. But a story of hard work being interrupted by grief and guilt, then being reinvigorated by love, acceptance and forgiveness, is something else entirely.

HIGH NOTE (1960)

Proof that Chuck Jones doesn’t even need a character to have a face, let alone a familiar one, to do his thing.

FEAST (2014)

Put all the rich, fluid animation aside and you get schooled in how to effectively tell, and commit entirely to telling, a story from a left-of-centre perspective. In this case, a plot taking place entirely in the background, unbeknownst to the main character until the third act. This story of a dog and his food has nothing to do with a dog and his food.

WINNIE THE POOH AND THE BLUSTY DAY (1968)

Natural disasters reveal true character real quick, so what better way to get to know, and forever establish, the inhabitance of the Hundred Acre Wood. The meta fact that they end up interacting with the pages and lettering of the book they’re in is some extra Kaufman/Fellini shit thrown on top for great measure.

the opening of

WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (1988)

It had to establish a world. They needed to sell us Roger. We had to buy that this was the most beloved character/franchise we’d never heard of. Zemeckis and co. are (well, were) such overachievers.

BLINKITY BLANK (1955)

This fireworks display of doodles-on-acid is either about a bird trying to get back in its cage or signifies absolutely nothing - not even a pretentious metaphor. Either way, it’s McLaren’s most fuck-you abstract, well timed to music, and, if you ask me, his most entertaining.

OPUS II (1921)

A cat and mouse game between the yin & yang of light and dark as they try to stamp each other out. It begs the question: whose side are we on when good and evil transform from obviously opposing black and white to a more neutral blue and red? That’s a good question.

PRESTO (2008)

You can hate the fast paced, non-stop style of modern mainstream animation and blame it for a generation’s struggles with their attention spans/deficit disorders all you want. I can’t stop you. But the amount of backstory they were able to cram into five minutes, the rapid fire timing of gag after gag once it gets going and the pitch perfect composition and framing of it all is nothing but damn good comedy and moviemaking. It was also the best looking CG animation I’d seen at the time.

HOW TO KISS (1988)

Bill Plympton’s stuff can be as repetitive as it is surreal. How prolific the guy is isn’t exactly helping. I find it’s best to appreciate him in small doses… which is a kind way of saying the less you watch, the more impressed you’ll be. That sounds awful, actually. That’s no way to compliment such a talented fellow. Oh, boy. This has gone South so fast. I should just stop typing.

THE STREET (1976)

If I were you, I’d skip the “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz” & “Barney’s Version” movie adaptations and simply watch this instead. It’s a much better representation of Richler - both as a writer and a man.

PUSSY (2016)

Plot: a young woman settles in for a nice night of masturbation. Then something unexpected happens. Thoughts: you know you’re in good hands when the opening shot depicts pulling a tea bag out of a cup of tea, placing it on a spoon and wrapping the string around it all to squeeze out any remaining tea. This is something so many of us do routinely yet is rarely acknowledged in any art form… kind of like masturbating. And how wonderfully unique is it that the backgrounds seem to have been drawn by a marker? Like, I’m talking a Crayola Washable Marker.

ME AND MY MOULTON (2014)

My tummy ached throughout my whole childhood. I’ve only ever seen this depicted in a movie once - right here. This is one of all time favourite coming-of-age movies. It packs more touching imagery, character, insight, humour and narrative into its fourteen minutes than most movies spread out over ninety. And its leading lady is one of the most relatable and likeable characters I’ve ever seen. She’s so perfectly quiet and kind. I want to poke my head through the screen and tell her that there’s nothing wrong with being as shy and sensitive as she is.

MICE FOLLIES (1954)

I’m a life long T&J fanatic, and this particular outing captured my imagination so much as a kid that I remade it… kinda. I drew out my own versions of its most memorable moments and, with Mum wielding the trusty family camcorder, narrated the short’s story as I displayed each page to the camera.

CREATURE COMFORTS (1989)

An idea so good and simple that you’re probably jealous you didn’t think of it yourself. Having animated animals act this mundane and droll (and no, it’s not just the dialogue track - I’m talking about the complimentary body language, too) was way ahead of its time, as was applying the faux documentary style to the medium.

THE DOT AND THE LINE:

A ROMANCE IN LOWER MATHEMATICS (1965)

Delightful evidence that the quest for love is absolutely universal, even in a world of mere shape and colour.

WEEKENDS (2017)

Perfectly captures those melancholy memories of spending weekends at Dad’s, all while exhibiting a refreshing (and appropriately etherial) visual style.

SEASON’S GREETINGS (1996)

Short and sweet. I like its style and Sam is a such great character. As much as I enjoyed seeing a live-action version, I’d love to see much more of him in his original animated form.

A GIFT OF GOLD (1994), a segment

from the 55th episode of ANIMANIACS (1993-98)

Great talents are at work when you can make me tear up with the story of a scrap of wrapping paper. A wonderful example of using the medium to your narrative advantage, as this truly heartwarming story (apparently thought up by Spielberg himself) would be nearly impossible to capture practically in live-action. You’d likely rely on CGI… which is just another form of animation, really.

THE CAT CAME BACK (1988)

This could so easily be as relentlessly annoying as its titular feline. Instead, it’s a classic - one you want to watch over and over and over (which is kinda ironic, actually). This is probably due to its impeccable pace, comic timing and fun designs.

MY GRANDMOTHER

IRONED THE KING’S SHIRTS (1999)

Great title. Great story. Great animation. Great writing. Great direction. Great cut-away to Tonya Harding’s laces being too tight.

LOG DRIVER’S WALTZ (1979)

If you grew up attending a Canadian public school and are anything like me, having your teacher trot out the school-owned boob tube and play this baby via VHS once a year was the highlight of your elementary academia.

THE BIG SNIT (1985)

This is one of my favourite movies of any length. At its core it may just be about a Scrabble argument (and the end of the world), but it actually says everything about everything. And it’s brought to us via some serious originality (and oddity), making it one of the all time greats. That first time she rattles her eyes? Fucking hell - I love it.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR (2018)

You can roll your eyes at the initial premise all you want, but the plain fact is that once it gets going this short is really, really funny. And kinda poignant.

PAPAGENO (1935)

I’m a big fan of “The Magic Flute”, particularly the character of Papageno. I’m also a big fan of Lotte Reiniger, the Queen of silhouette animation. So the latter telling the story of the former is almost too good to be true.

the music video for Amanda Palmer’s cover of

NO SURPRISES (2011)

Amanda Palmer released an album called “Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead On Her Magical Ukulele”. That title is the best thing about the whole project. This video is a close second. Special thanks to my friend Leah for introducing me to this one.

CONFESSIONS OF A STAR DREAMER (1978)

I’d never heard of Diane Gardner before seeing this, but instantly fell for her once I had. Her stream of consciousness is the soundtrack here, as she extemporaneously muses on her life, career and fame in general. Legendary & incomparable animator John Canemaker provides kinetic-yet-messy visuals that match and/or dissect her words, both literally and metaphorically.