Panic at the Village

Last night we watched the very funny and imaginative stop-motion feature Panique au village

(A village called panic is the english title). The movie was written and directed by Belgian creative duo 

Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar, who also provided voiceovers for two of the main characters,

Cowboy and Horse (the other is Indian). Aubier and Patar met in art school, and have been working together

since the late 1980s. Panique au village is the spinoff of their successful tv series by same name, 

whose 20 episodes aired in Belgium between 2001 and 2003.

I loved the low-tech, low-budget, DIY feel of the animation and mad plot, which kept reminding me

of the endless adventures I had as a child with the aid of Barbies and plastic presepe figurines,

and more recent incredible stories staged by my daughters and friends using their toys. 

At the same time, the scenes are rich with amusing, lovingly crafted details: above you can admire

the entrance to the music school and the car of music teacher and Horse's paramour Madame Longrée.

The fast-paced story is full of crazy twists and hilarious gags, including trips to the center of the earth, 

brick stealing underwater creatures and a huge mechanical penguin guided by mad scientists.

If you enjoy out of bounds creativity, absurdist humour and childlike aesthetics, it's an exciting ride! 

The Crimson Wing

Speaking of flamingos, I recently watched the documentary The Crimson Wing, which chronicles the life and struggles of the colony of two million lesser flamingos that breed on Lake Natron in northern Tanzania. I highly recommend it, especially If like me you are fascinated by these beautiful birds!

The dog who was a cat inside

This lovely cartoon about a dog's very serious inner conflict was directed by Danish animator Siri Melchior in 2002 for the British Channel 4 Television. If you like it too, I recommend watching or downloading a higher-res version here. Siri Melchior currently works as a director at the multimedia and animation studio Trunk, which she founded with two fellow Royal College of Art students. You can read more about her and the making of the film here.

Memory and Loss

I have just finished reading Sam Savage's Firmin, which I loved. Parts of the book strongly remind me of this episode from the 1977 animated movie Allegro non troppo by Bruno Bozzetto, a sort of Italian Fantasia. This visual accompaniment to Sibelius' Valse triste is beautiful, but so sad that after the first viewing my children never wanted to watch it again... 

Adventures of a Teddy Bear

A big thank you to Jim Le Fevre for sharing this delightful preview of the upcoming Czech movie Kooky's return. Can't wait to see the whole thing! This combined puppet and live action feature was directed by Academy Award winner Jan Svěrák with production design by Jakub Dvorsky from Amanita Design, an animation and game development studio doing beautiful work, for example this videogame and this music video.

The Thieving Magpie

The suite from Rossini's opera was turned into a very special animated short by Emanuele (Lele) Luzzati and Giulio Gianini. After fighting with each other for a hundred years, three powerful kings decide to make a pact and instead launch a war against birds. Not a good idea! A very feisty magpie is going to punish them and save the day. This innovative cut-out animation was nominated for an Oscar in 1964.

Enchanting Mr. Anderson

Chris Appelhans' preliminary artworks for Fantastic Mr. Fox

Last August, in two of Animalarium's earliest posts, I expressed my excitement about the upcoming Where the Wild Things Are and Fantastic Mr. Fox. After seeing Spike Jonze's movie, I'll admit having mixed feelings about his adaptation of one of my most beloved children's books. Now, I am very happy to say that last night my exceedingly high expectations were more than matched by Anderson's production of Roald Dahl's classic children's story (and not just because I have a passion for foxes). I was absolutely delighted by just about everything in his movie, and so seems Mrs. Dahl. Watch her interview in this short promotional clip, where one can also have a glimpse of the amazing and painstaking work of the stop motion animation team. I had no idea that Wes Anderson had moved into Dahl's house to write the script, then photographed and reproduced every piece of furniture in it! Details like this make me appreciate my favorite director's aesthetically obsessive nature even more...

Hedgehog in the fog

In case you haven't already seen it don't miss out...

possibly the loveliest animated short ever, made in 1975 by the amazing Russian animator Yuri Norstein. 

Norstein has created his poetic films working in team with his wife Francheska Yarbusova

 and cameraman Alexander Zukovsky. In order to achieve the artistic effect they desired, 

they invented a new animation technique involving painting on multiple layers of glass.

Let the wild rumpus start!

This is the new theatrical trailer for Where the Wild Things Are, opening in the States on October 16. Could I be any more excited about this movie? Let's see: one of my favorite children's books becomes a movie involving Maurice Sendak, Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers, Arcade Fire, James Gandolfini, Karen O, Catherine Keener and Forest Whitaker, complete with beautiful tile graphics and a very sweet poster... really, can one ask for anything more?

Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox

Here is the trailer for the new Wes Anderson animated movie based on the Roald Dahl book. Anderson's trademark style, which I personally love, seems to translate very well into stop motion (notice the charming retro feeling and centered frontal shots). Plus, the characters have great voices by George Clooney, Anjelica Huston, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. I can't wait to see it, but will have to wait till its release in November...