Television. One DVD at a Time.

"Well, that's the end of the show. I hope we've all learned a little something about the fascinating world of animation today, and that you now think of it a little differently. An animated film is not just a random series of violent, self-indulgent cartoon images meant only to be enjoyed by young children and people with mental handicaps, but is a serious, valid, art medium all unto itself, in which the artist is free to explore the purity of the film medium in each and every frame. The animated art..." - Our fluffball host in "The End of the Show," immediately before an attack by killer robots

The Animation Show: Volumes 1 & 2 DVD Review

By Jude Clement

In the early days of film, theatergoers were often treated to animated shorts before the main feature. Bugs Bunny, Casper, and Woody Woodpecker became cultural icons through their colorful, five minute exploits. The economics of the film industry eventually ended the exhibition of shorts, but dedicated filmmakers continued to turn them out. Mike Judge, creator of King of the Hill and Beavis and Butthead and fellow animator Don Hertzfeldt decided that these talented filmmakers deserved to have an outlet for their creations. In 2003, they created "The Animation Show," a film festival devoted to showcasing a wide variety of animated works. The festival (and a subsequent follow-up) successfully toured the country. As the duo gears up for a third presentation, The Animation Show: Volumes 1 & 2 is arriving on DVD presenting highlights of the first two years. A TV series based on the festival is also scheduled to premiere on MTV2.

What can animation fans expect on the DVDs? Here, in no particular order, are some of the highlights:

Fans of Mike Judge will see echoes of King of the Hill and Beavis and Butthead in his collection of "Early Pencil Tests and Other Experiments." Included is "Office Space," the short that inspired the full-length, live action film of the same name.

In Bill Plympton's "Parking," a parking lot attendant wages a war against a rogue blade of grass that sprouts up in his asphalt lot. As the battle escalates and grows ever more over-the-top, the laughs grow bigger and bigger.

Remember "The Red Balloon," that heart-warming live-action short about an urchin who befriends a red balloon? "Billy's Balloon" by Don Hertzfeldt is its evil twin. A sloe-eyed baby shakes its rattle a few too many times, leading his red balloon to attack its young owner, first bopping him in the head, then taking him up into the sky and repeatedly dropping him back to earth. I know - it sounds cruel - but this just may be the funniest thing you see all year, especially if you are a fan of "The Red Balloon." Equally funny are the interstitials Hertzfeldt created for The Animation Show: "Welcome to the Show," "Intermission in the Third Dimension," and "The End of the Show."

Set to the song of the same name by (The Real) Tuesday Weld, "Bathtime in Clerkenwell" (by Alex Budovsky) is a black-and-white gem that imagines what would happen if the birds in cuckoo clocks revolted, taking over the world and forcing humans to become the cuckoos. The music is infectious and the animation eye-catching in this short that sometimes resembles an old "Merry Melodies" cartoon on acid.

Academy Award nominated "The Cathedral (Katedra)" by Tomek Baginski starts off slowly, resembling a somewhat listless videogame, as a traveler stumbles across a decrepit cathedral that seems to hold many secrets. The tension mounts, however, and leads to a shocking conclusion.

In "The Rocks (Das Rad)" by Chris Stenner and Heidi Wittlinger, a pair of rock formations watch as time flies around them. Will they be overtaken by the progress of civilization?

"Pan With Us" by David Russo is a fascinating piece that combines a variety of techniques to produce a dreamy, visually stunning style. From flying birds held aloft by members of the filmmaking team to growing vines animated by panning across a scroll of paper, this short is often breathtaking in its creativity.

"Hello" by Jonathan Nix tells the sweet tale of a clunky tape recorder that falls in love with a sleek compact disc player who lives down the hall. This tale of the awkwardness of love is absolutely heartbreaking.

What do coin wrappers, candy corn, and Peeps have in common? Animator Pes uses them to colorful effect in the stop-action "Fireworks." It's brief, yet hypnotic.

Ruairi Robinson and Seamus Byrne's "Fifty Percent Grey" is a mini existential masterpiece about heaven, hell, and purgatory. All three places share something in common - a certain home entertainment device.

Other shorts include "Mt. Head (Atama Yama)" by Koji Yamamura; "Brother," "Cousin," and "Uncle" by Jonathan Nix; "The Adventures of Ricardo" by Corky Quakenbush; "La Course a L'Abime" by George Schwizgebel; "Aria" by Pjotr Sapegin; "Bunnies" by Studio Soi; "Guard Dog" by Bill Plympton; "The F.E.D.S." by Jennifer Drummond; "Ward 13" by Peter Cornwell; "Rockfish" by Blur Studio and Tim Miller; "Magda" by Chel White; "Fallen Art" by Tomek Baginski; "When the Day Breaks" by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby; and "The Meaning of Life" by Don Hertzfeldt.

These shorts represent a wide variety of animation styles and techniques, from the gorgeous stop-motion of "The Rocks" to the videogame-like computer animation of "The Cathedral." The tone and themes run the gamut, too. "The Cathedral" is grim sci-fi. "Hello" is a romance. "Cousin," "Brother," and "Uncle" are autobiographical portraits. "Billy's Balloon" is damn funny. The selection is rich and varied.

The thirty-one animated shorts the make up The Animation Show are divided onto two discs. The discs are housed in standard-sized keepcases which slide into a cardboard outer sleeve. The back of each keepcase includes the name of each short and its creators along with a still.

The menus are pretty great - colorful and visually arresting. Viewers can choose to watch the entire lineup or can jump directly to a particular short. When choosing individual shorts, viewers are also given onscreen information about the short they are about to see, along with a list of extras related to that short.

Video and Audio

The shorts in The Animation Show look and sound just fine, but one wishes that the widescreen shorts were enhanced for widescreen televisions.

Extras

The Animation Show is filled to the brim with extras. First up is "La Course a L'Abime Storyboard and Scene Comparison" (6:00). Storyboards for the short appear in five comic book-style panels while the short itself runs in a sixth panel. A written narrative at the bottom of the screen further fleshes out the script. This is a neat extra, but an explanation of the unique animation technique behind this short would have also been appreciated.

"Mt. Head Gallery of Concept Art" is a navigable slideshow of thirteen concept drawings.

"Das Rad Behind the Scenes Production Gallery" is a nine screen exploration in words and pictures of the creation of "The Rocks."

"Deleted Pencil Test by Mike Judge" (:28) offers a look at an early version of King of the Hill's Hank Hill.

"Trilogy Optical Effects Commentary by Don Hertzfeldt" (:58) features the animator discussing how to achieve optical effects without the use of a computer. This is very brief and general in nature, so don't expect to run off and animate your own short after watching it.

The "Trilogy Production Art Gallery" presents a twenty screen collection of concept drawings for "Welcome to the Show," "Intermission in the Third Dimension," and "The End of the Show." Seven screens of drawings and storyboards make up "Billy's Balloon Production Art Gallery." Thirty images are included in "The Cathedral Art Gallery."

"Making of The Cathedral" is broken down into three main sections: "Character Animation" (3:12), "The Cathedral Growth" (2:33) and "Animatic" (1:35). "Character Animation" shows footage of an actor that was used in certain "motion capture" sequences of the short. "The Cathedral Growth" includes test footage in which Tomek Baginski attempts to perfect the transformation of the Pilgrim into a part of the cathedral. Finally, the "Animatic" is a roughly animated version of the short.

Also included is a theatrical trailer for Baginski's "Fallen Art" (1:11), a short that actually appears on volume two.

Bill Plympton is the focus of the next two features. First up is a commentary track on "Parking." There isn't much of interest here, so you may just want to stick with the short. There is also a trailer for Plympton's full-length film Hair High (2:14) which sort of looks like a cross between Grease and Rebel without a Cause.

Corky Quakenbush takes the spotlight for the remaining extras on volume one, providing a commentary track on the Ricardo shorts in which he explains how he came to create the character and the shorts. Fans can then watch the "Experimental First Ricardo Short" (:50).

Volume two also contains a smattering of extras. "100 Years of Animated Short Films" (13:52), a specially-produced featurette that briefly traces the history of animated shorts and the genesis of the Animation Show. Included are interviews with Mike Judge, Don Hertzfeldt, historian Jerry Beck, and others. This should be a treat for animation buffs.

Two extras focus on "Magda" creator Chel White. The first is a bonus short, "A Painful Glimpse Into My Writing Process" (1:44), a humorously exaggerated look at the creative process ("I put on my writing underwear..."). "Production Stills: Magda" (2:06) is a slideshow of behind-the-scenes photos from the filming of "Magda."

The special features for "Fallen Art" include "Creating Characters & Scenography" (3:02) and "Animating Characters" (1:53), two behind-the-scenes featurettes. Both are subtitled.

"Fireworks" creator Pes is also represented by a pair of extras. First up is "Kaboom!" (1:19), a bonus short that uses found objects and stop-action animation to make war seem downright cheery. Like "Fireworks," this short will make you see everyday objects in a totally different light. "The Making of Kaboom!" (5:19) provides a fascinating glimpse into the thought that goes into every frame of Pes' work. Don't miss it.

Finally, "Recipe for Animating" (1:24) explains the animation technique behind "The F.E.D.S."

Summary

Even though it contains several memorable animated shorts, The Animation Show: Volumes 1 & 2 will probably best find a home in the DVD libraries of animation fanatics. Casual viewers, however, are probably better off adding it to their rental queue.

1/15/07