Within the world of animation, most experimentation occurs within short format productions, whether they are high budgeted commercials, low budgeted independent shorts, or something in between. The growing number of short film festivals around the world attest to the vitality of these works, but there are few other venues for exhibition of them or even written reviews. As a result, distribution tends to be difficult and irregular. On a regular basis, Animation World Magazine will highlight some of the most interesting with short descriptive overviews.

If you have the QuickTime plug-in, you can view a clip from each film by simply clicking the image.

This Month:

The Mosquito and the Horse (Estonia, 2001). 11.5 min. Dir: Mikk Rand (Estonia). Computer Graphics: Raivo Möllits. Designer: Jaanus Orgusaar. Produced as a personal project at Multi Film Ltd. and Nukufilm. Contact: Rikk Rand, Multi Film, C.R. Jakobsoni 14, Tallinn 10128 Estonia. Tel: +372 6009237. Fax: +372 6009238. Email: info@multifilm.ee. Web: http://www.multifilm.ee.

Tongues and Taxis (USA, 2000). 7.5 min. Dir: Michael Overbeck (USA). Produced at Rhode Island School of Design. Contact: Mike Overbeck or Hyun-Ho Kang (distributor). Email: mikeoverbeck@hotmail.com or ho@skunk.tv. Web: http://www.mikeoverbeck.com or http://www.skunktv.com.

It’s Alive! (USA, 2001). 2.5 min. Dir: Terry Ziegelman (USA) and Paul George (Venezuela). Lead Anim: Stephen Johnson (USA). Technical Dir: Jamie Kirschenbaum. Produced at Savannah College of Art and Design. Contact: Terry Ziegelman. Email: z_depth@hotmail.com. Web: http://www.itsalive3d.com.

Caged (USA, 2002). 3 min. Dir: Ashley Hoffman (USA). Produced at the University of California, Los Angeles. Contact: Ashley Hoffman. Email: hoffmana@ucla.edu.

Shadowplay (USA, 2002). 15.5 min. Dir: Dan Blank (USA). Co-prod: Cynthia Allen. Composer: Ryan Shore. Sound Des: Clilly Castiglia. 2D Anim: Louis Mitchell, Bill Moore, Alex Woo. Contact: Dan Blank, Danmation Pictures. Email: danmation@mac.com. Web: http://www.danmation.com.

The Mosquito and the Horse. © Multi Film 2001.

The Mosquito and the Horse
Over his ten-year career, Estonian Mikk Rand has established himself as an award-winning puppet animator, working in both the short film format and for television. In The Mosquito and the Horse (2001), Rand has combined a mixture of live-action and animation techniques, both traditional and computer-generated, in a film clearly reflecting the director’s influences: Tim Burton, Jim Jarmusch and David Lynch.

The film’s narrative is based on a traditional Estonian fairytale, telling the story of a group of mosquitoes that challenge a horse to a contest of strength. As the film begins, it evokes an almost documentary sensibility, in part through its use of voice-over narration (in English). Though the film might at first seem to be a relatively traditional work, it is not long until this impression changes, and drastically. The character design and voice recording, along with fantastically unrestricted cinematography and editing, combine with folk songs (sung in Estonian, with English subtitles) that might be described as ‘quirky’ or maybe just ‘really odd.’ Some dialogue is presented in ‘word bubbles’ printed on the film as well. So much is going on, on so many levels, that the film defies its viewer to look away -- and who would want to? It’s all wonderful. The Mosquito and the Horse clearly demonstrates how successful a film can be operating outside the classical Hollywood model.