SHORTS | “The Animation Show” Back for Thirds

Among the European shorts, “No Room for Gerold” (Dir. Daniel Nocke, Germany, 2006, 5 mins.) is the most accessible, with slick 3-D computer animation illustrating an almost sitcomish confrontation between young apartment dwellers.  Imagine “Friends” recast with a hippo, rhino, crocodile, and gazelle. 

France offers up the three-minute “Eaux Forte” (Dir. Remi Chaye) and “Overtime” (Dirs. Oury Atlan, Thibaut Berland and Damien Ferrie), a five-minute computer animation piece starring creatures oddly resembling Kermit the Frog. 

Of the US shorts, the two-minute stop-motion video-game-themed “Game Over” (Dir. PES) delighted college audiences at the program’s February 7th screening at UCLA’s Royce Hall.  Also bringing down the house was hometown hero Shane Acker, who was on hand to answer questions about his Academy-nominated “Nine.”  The UCLA grad revealed he is currently expanding his eleven-minute computer-animated short into a feature under the guidance of Tim Burton.

While Acker is a relative newbie to the animation world, Bill Plympton is an old hand, churning out masterpiece after masterpiece year after year.  His most recent contribution to his Plymptoons catalogue is “Guide Dog,” a five-minute sequel to the Academy-nominated “Guard Dog.”  The traditional 2-D animated story has the canine hero failing just as spectacularly as ever.

Years ago, Bill Plympton toured with Don Hertzfeldt in a theatrical program they called “The Don and Bill Show.” “The Animation Show 3” is like a mini-version of that all-star pairing.  But this time it is Hertzfeldt who takes center stage.  His seventeen-minute “Everything Will Be OK,” a blend of traditional animation and experimental photography, takes his work to a whole new level, surpassing even his previous gem, the Academy-nominated “Rejected.”

When “The Animation Show 3” made its stop in Los Angeles, there was a special addition to the standard program of twelve shorts: claymation superstar Corky Quakenbush unearthed his cult classic “Davey and Son of Goliath.”  The programmers promise additional unbilled shorts will make surprise appearances as the tour continues to work its way across the country. 

The upcoming tour schedule includes stops at the Times Cinema in Milwaukee, WI on March 30, 2007 and the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House in Rochester, NY on April 13-15.  Consult the Animation Show website for additional tour dates.

For those who missed the first two installments of “The Animation Show,” a DVD box set is for sale at the theatrical screenings and on-line.  And while you can assume that the third incarnation will ultimately end up on DVD after it completes its theatrical run and subsequent airing on MTV2, don’t skip the opportunity to see these stellar pieces on the big screen, where they really shine.

[Kim Adelman is the author of “The Ultimate Filmmaker’s Guide to Short Films.”]