Category Archives: Animation

Russian Animation: Shareholders

by Editor

This is a cartoon criticism of capitalism by Roman Davydov, from Soyuzmultfilm.  It was made in 1963 and captures the early 1960s better than most American cartoons have.  It’s look at the struggle of an American worker fooled into thinking he’s doing well because he’s a stock owner in his company is very accurate and should speak loudly in today’s circumstances.  The widescreen art looks like it comes straight out of an illustrated magazine advertisement of the time.  The finale with all the race cars and crashes is incredible.  There is an irritating tendency to refer to films like this one as ‘propaganda.’  Why is it so difficult to criticize capitalism in democracies?  Capitalism is simply an economic program and should be under constant criticism and assault from all sides.  There is absolutely nothing about capitalism that should protect it from becoming obsolete.

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Animation: The Scared Ladybird

by Editor | 1 Comment

Ok, do these kids have any idea how good this work is? I think they probably do, because they are a total crack-up. ‘People say I’m spotty, but I say I’m dotty.’ Lots of laughs and excellent dialog from these kids who are going to turn their school (Oxley Park Primary School) into an animation studio very quickly. This is the result of another animation camp from Quirky Pictures.

Animation: The Magic Fish

by Editor | 1 Comment

Shaun Clark and Kim Noce at Mew Lab made The Magic Fish for broadcast on a BBC television show for children. It’s an Italian folk tale about a couple who have very little but get some assistance from an ancient chestnut tree and a magic fish. The animation is full of mixed media painting, paper, and photographs.  My favorite part is the ocean with the little boat near the end.

Animation: Umbrella

by Editor

Philip Vose made Umbrella in three months as a fourth year film at Cal Arts in 2008.  It’s about a magic umbrella that pulls people right up out of the muck and into a colorful world in the sky.  They could use this umbrella down in the Gulf of Mexico right about now.

Russian Animation: Goodnight Children

by Editor

This is the opening and closing animation for a children’s television show in Russia. It was made by Yuri Norstein who works primarily with pieces of painted paper that he moves to create stop-motion animations unlike any others in the world. This is a beautiful piece that captures the storybook imagination perfectly. It looks damned close to being 3-dimensional. But don’t be fooled – Pixar can’t do this. Only Norstein can. He does it with his fingers. Incredible and brilliant and exquisite.