I have to admit, I do so love the Animation Show, and all that it does. This year was a tad unfortunate because they seemed to take a bit more out of Spike and Mike's handbook, and so the styles of animation and the narratives didn't vary quite as much as previous years. Still, it was nice to see some regulars like Plympton and Schwizgebel return, as well as introducing others.
Stand out shorts from this year's lineup include "John and Karen", an absurdly sweet and heartfelt story about the relationship between a polar bear and a penguin; "Forgetfulness", a wonderful poem supported by equally wonderful imagery; and "Love Sport Paintball", an epic battle of miniature proportions. "Raymond" gets the prize, for me, for most unique and visually stunning animation, whereas the "Psychotown" shorts were the most hilarious. I really didn't like the "Yompi" shorts (most of the animations by that particular director ever only seem repetitive and infantile) and a lot of the Usavich and Gobelins shorts made it seem as if the Animation Show is aspiring to be more like Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted festivals (though not necessarily a bad thing, I like the Animation Show more because of its variety).
I think this festival should still be touring around, so keep an eye out. I eagerly await its DVD, like the other years, and I hope a lot more of these shorts get their individual IMDb listings (so far there's only about a half-dozen out of a 20+ feature show).
--PolarisDiB
Stand out shorts from this year's lineup include "John and Karen", an absurdly sweet and heartfelt story about the relationship between a polar bear and a penguin; "Forgetfulness", a wonderful poem supported by equally wonderful imagery; and "Love Sport Paintball", an epic battle of miniature proportions. "Raymond" gets the prize, for me, for most unique and visually stunning animation, whereas the "Psychotown" shorts were the most hilarious. I really didn't like the "Yompi" shorts (most of the animations by that particular director ever only seem repetitive and infantile) and a lot of the Usavich and Gobelins shorts made it seem as if the Animation Show is aspiring to be more like Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted festivals (though not necessarily a bad thing, I like the Animation Show more because of its variety).
I think this festival should still be touring around, so keep an eye out. I eagerly await its DVD, like the other years, and I hope a lot more of these shorts get their individual IMDb listings (so far there's only about a half-dozen out of a 20+ feature show).
--PolarisDiB
