Hothouse © 2003. Photographs courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada.

Some Prefatory Remarks by Jean:
For years, I have wished that studios would invest a tiny amount of their profits in support of animators who are attempting to create “not necessarily commercial” animation projects. I am convinced that such support would not only be “philanthropic” (what’s wrong with that anyway?), but would also provide those studios with material and ideas that could contribute greatly to their much-needed renewal.

For years, I have wished that in vain.

It’s no secret for readers who have gone through my previous AWN articles that I have no great love for “habitual animation,” that I firmly believe commercial animation is stuck, and has been stuck for many years, condemned (and condemning itself) to repeating endlessly, with very minor and superficial variations, “more of the same.” Not only are major studios stuck, they are also spending vast sums of money that are not only geared to profit, but profit at the cost of a possible and needed raising of the level of conscience of the audience. (Cézanne said it better than I ever could: “Art is a religion. Its aim is the elevation of thought.”)

Chris “The Animation Pimp” Robinson has written well and at length on this sad state of affairs in the animation world, so I will not go through the whole trial again here. I will however add that a concern for “Quality” (in Pirsig’s/Phaedrus’ sense) is far from being a matter of “elitism;” it is actually a matter of survival.

There are few exceptions to this “stuck” situation, very few alternatives: auteur animation exists, but most often lacks access to the means of production (and when it gets that, it too often joins the “more of the same” amorphous herd, maybe as a prerequisite for getting the means), but above all it lacks the means and venues for distribution (where can you see “non-habitual animation” these days, outside of animation festivals?).

Only a few individuals and small studios around the planet are involved with creating animation that is not aimed at catering to (and creating) the lowest common denominator, and that do not partake of this yet-to-be-curtailed agenda of those Chomsky calls, “The Moral Monsters,” namely mercantile interests bent on conditioning people into becoming mindless consumers.

It is a shame that so often animation is reduced to a witless amusement aimed at entertainment as a mind-numbing process (see my Notes from the Underground — Part 1 on this). Very few studios and independent animators actually escape this assumed “obligation,” very few indeed are attempting to create <“animation in a different key.”>

The National Film Board of Canada has always played a very special role in animation (and film in general), one does not need to list its glorious history to be convinced of that. The NFB is an institution that is supported by Canadian taxpayers’ money, and as such, like most other public institutions in our western world (with, often, the armed forces being the only exception!), it has greatly suffered from enormous budget cuts, from the lack of foresight of most politicians who, as usual, are very focused on the short term (especially their own reelection) and not so much on the nurturing and pursuing of the tradition of excellence and vision that was started by some of their (better) predecessors.

A while ago, I was at the Montreal NFB studios where I had the chance to sit in on the presentation of the works of the second Hothouse promotion. I saw Michael Fukushima (with hair!) introduce that group of six budding animators, and also present a bit of the history of the Hothouse project itself.

This “Hothouse” was news to me, and, after viewing the six short pieces (some of which were very potent), I asked Michael if he would be willing to give me more information about this work that seemed to be very similar to what I had been hoping commercial studios would do “out of the goodness of their heart.” Michael was so generous with the information he provided me (he obviously cares about the Hothouse project, and so he should), that I decided to write this article in the form of a conversation with him (please note that my comments here and below reflect my views, not necessarily his).