Harvie Krumpet, Best Animated Short, 2003
Harvie Krumpet is narrated by Oscar winner, Geoffrey Rush and is done using claymation. When the film starts, you kind of think it's going to go one way, maybe silly and funny, but then it takes a few left turns, but retains a gentle sense of humor about its main character, Harvie Krumpet. Harvie was born in Poland in the early 20th century, and as he gets a little older, his parents discover he is a little different, he has Tourrette's Syndrome. After he is teased and harassed in school, his mother, who is not exactly educated, decides to teach Harvie at home. His mother teaches him 'fakts' and thereafter, he carries a book of fakts for the rest of his life. During World War II, Harvie moves to Australia. You would think that Harvie is the most unlucky guy in the world because he regularly has many bad things happen to him (getting struck by lightening for one), but yet, he also finds some very good fortune, finding the love of his life while he is in the cancer ward at the hospital, adopting a thalidomide baby (thousands of babies were born with birth defects after their mothers took thalidomide). You would not necessarily ever think that a thalidomide baby would be funny, and it's not hilarious funny, but Ruby and her dad have a great time together and laugh and clearly enjoy life. That's kind of the way the film goes, bad things happen, yet Harvie and his family make the best of the situation and seize the day. There is no sugarcoating here, though. Harvie's fakts pop up throughout the short and they provide additional laughter and food for thought. This may actually be good for older kids to watch because it shows, in a non-preachy way, acceptance of others. I must warn you though, there is nudity, and naked claymation characters are not for everyone.
Ryan, Best Animated Short, 2004
Ryan is Ryan Larkin, a Canadian animator. The director of the film, Chris Landreth, used computer-generated imagery (CGI) and pieces of an interview he had with Larkin. I've seen a lot of animation over the years, and I don't think I have seen anything quite like this. Ryan's story was very compelling, and provides a brief glimpse into his animation style, which definitely seems groundbreaking (I am going to try and find his Oscar-nominated short Walking). This probably could have been done as a straight live action documentary, but it would not have been the same. Definitely worth a look.
Toyland, Best Live Action Short, 2008
If a short film is done well, it's running time should not be a factor. That is definitely true for Toyland. Do not let the title fool you, there is nothing playful about this fourteen minute film. Toyland is set in 1942 Germany and tells the story of two little boys, one German (Heinrich) and one Jewish;(David) they are best friends. The time is coming closer for the Jewish family to be deported; Heinrich's mother tells him they are going to Toyland, and everything will be okay. Heinrich wants to go with his best friend, and on they day David's family is being taken away, Heinrich tries to go with them. The editing here is the key, and it is done brilliantly to keep the story compact and taut with suspense. To tell you any more about it would ruin the tension. If you like this film, I would recommend The Boy in the Striped Pajamas; it's a full length film, and was very well done (although very hard to watch, but sometimes you have to do that).
Logorama, Best Animated Short, 2009
You can find snippets of this on YouTube, but until now, I have not been able to see it in its full, unedited version. Watching and listening to this, I got a sense of watching Southpark on steroids brought to you by the Michelin Man and McDonald's. I guess the inspiration behind this was to show how surrounded by advertising, even to the point where we just take it for granted. It would be one thing just to show us all the logos and characters associated with products, but to incorporate them into a story and make them characters in daily life is very clever. I think we have this idea that the Michelin Man is cuddly and roly-poly, but here, he (they) are tough, foul-mouthed police; a slightly effeminate Mr. Clean; the Pringles Man is sophisticated with his fancy mustache, who would have thought he would be a sexist, groping pig? And so it goes, turning our preconceptions on their heads. This is definitely not for younger kids; and if you are sensitive to your impressionable adolescents hearing the f-bomb, they should skip it as well. There is also horrific animated destruction, and Consider yourself warned.
The New Tenants, Best Live Action Short, 2009
As the movie opened, I thought I was in for some existential rant, which I was really not going to enjoy. It did not last long, and the rant turned into an existential question, which was more palatable. A gay couple move into their new apartment, and begin to meet some of the people who knew the previous tenant. Their elderly neighbor comes to borrow some flour so she can make cinnamon buns for her granddaughter; as she's chatting, she also mentions that the previous tenant was shot. Frank, the grumpier of the two, tells her they do not have any flour, but Pete, who is a little cheerier and trying to be neighborly, finds some flour that was left in the apartment. I don't want to reveal too much more, but there were a few surprises along the way. Stick around for the end credits because there is a recipe for cinnamon buns.
God of Love, Best Live Action Short, 2010
This was definitely one of the quirkiest shorts on the disc, which is a good thing. It was filmed in black and white, and is about Raymond Goodfellow, a singer in a jazz quartet who also happens to be a great dart thrower, oh, and he's in love with his drummer, but she only has eyes for their guitar player. Olympus, an unknown company, sends Raymond love darts. He tries to use them on Kelly, and they work for a brief period of time, but the path of true love never runs smooth, or in the direction you hope. Olympus later sends Raymond a bow and arrow, and you guessed it, he becomes Cupid. I enjoyed this, and it was very smart, and the actor who played Raymond Goodfellow also directed, Luke Matheny, was very expressive and had great timing. I look forward to more from him.
The Lost Thing, Best Animated Short, 2010
The Lost Thing was the most whimsical of the shorts on the disc, and may be the one best suited for kids, mainly because it was based on a children's picture book by Shaun Tan; Tan co-directed the short. I liked the animation style, it fit very well with the feel of the story. Shaun is the name of the major character who collects bottle caps and one day as he was out collecting, he came across the Thing (later called the Lost Thing). The Thing is unidentifiable, it is very large and has tentacles and seems to have nowhere to go. Shaun's parents aren't thrilled about the Thing, and after Shaun sees an advertisement on television about the Department of Lost Things, he decides that's where they should go. Shaun eventually gets the Lost Thing to a new home, and then we see Shaun several years in the future wondering about the Lost Thing or the possibility of ever finding something like that again. There was something poignant about Shaun's reflections.
