In Sweet & Sour, a mongrel dog, Errol, discovers the wonders of Chinatown and overcomes his preconceived notions. © The People's Republic of Animation Pty Ltd.

Sweet & Sour
In a fascinating collaborative project, young Australian studio The People's Republic of Animation joins forces with China's venerable Shanghai Animation Film Studio in an exploration of the West's perception of the East -- and vice versa. Sweet & Sour is the bittersweet love affair between a mongrel dog, named Errol, and Chinese culture. While searching for his next meal, homeless dog Errol discovers Chinatown and becomes completely enthralled with everything that it has to offer. Bright lights, a bustling community, kite flying, action movies, culture and, best of all, dozens upon dozens of great restaurants. Errol throws himself completely into Chinese culture, and thoroughly revels in his newfound discovery.

The honeymoon comes to an end as Errol's xenophobia rears its head. He notices that not only are there no other dogs around, but the city is plastered with "Lost Dog" signs. He's unable to shake the age-old stereotype of Chinese fondness for dog meat, and fears for his life as the thrill of new ideas is replace by the fear of the unfamiliar. Fortunately for all involved, Errol's fears prove to be groundless, as evident by his final discovery (which I won't reveal, for the sake of those who haven't yet seen the film). The film conveys an upbeat message that we can enjoy each new opportunity for learning about new cultures if only we are willing to get past our own preconceived notions.

This unique collaboration can be seen very clearly in the animation, which features a 3D world created by the Australian crew combined with the two-dimensional Errol, who was animated by the Chinese studio. The initial collaboration has proven fruitful, and has led to a continuing partnership that will lead to larger-scale TV series and feature film productions. It gives me that much more faith in the animation business to know that the studios involved practice what they preach, and are living proof of their message of intercultural respect and understanding.

Undertakers Shank & Son struggle to bury the dead in This Way Up. © Nexus Prods.

This Way Up
It's just another day at the office for T. Shank & Son. Of course, when your office is a funeral parlor, your typical day is already starting out with a few kinks in it.

The film opens as Shank & Son are undertaking (no pun intended) a routine delivery. After funeral services are completed at the local mortuary, the Shanks load a coffin into their hearse for transport to the local cemetery. Unfortunately, a small mishap triggers a chain reaction that leads to a massive boulder flattening their vehicle, forcing them to deliver the coffin on foot.

The Shanks are bound by duty to see the coffin to its final destination, no matter what obstacles they may face. And if you know anything at all about comedy, you know that there's no such thing as "simply" delivering a coffin from Point A to Point B. A series of slapstick mishaps lead to an amazing journey into the afterlife, as skeletal clowns and re-animated corpses perform a danse macabre as the Shanks struggle to fulfill their duty.

This Way Up (the third Oscar nominee) was produced in HD digital animation using a combination of 3ds Max for the modeling and animation, Brazil for the render, Painter and Photoshop for the backgrounds' painting, and After Effects and Combustion for the compositing. The characters are very expressive, the design is impeccable, the soundtrack is pitch-perfect, and the story is universal -- there's a job that needs to be done, but it's not going to be as easy as it should be.

My lone "complaint" is that the subject matter: morticians having a bad day and journeying into a hellish fantasy world, conjures up visions of black-and-white "old timey" animation, with characters squashed and stretched to a Cab Calloway soundtrack as giant sweat beads fly from their heads. It's a bit jarring to see such classic subject matter given the high-tech treatment, but directors Smith & Foulkes have created a brilliant short all the same, and one that will clearly stand the test of time. It's got some stiff competition for this year's Oscar, but may very well find its opponents six feet under come Feb. 22 (puns completely intended).

Andrew Farago is the gallery manager and curator of San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum and the creator of the weekly online comic serial The Chronicles of William Bazillion.