Within the world of animation, most experimentation occurs within short format productions, whether they be 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.

The Child, 3 min., directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, France. Info: Judith Bruneau, Le Village, France. Tel: (33) 01 45 29 99 99. Fax: (33) 01 45 29 87 00.

Steinflug (Flight of the Stone), 15.5 min., directed by Susanne Horizon-Fränzel, Germany. Info: Sultana Films, Kaiserstr.117, D-73547 Lorch, Germany. Tel: (49) 7172 91 48 38. Fax: (49) 7172 86 78. USA: Bullfrog Films, Inc., P.O. Box 149, Oley, PA 19547. Tel: (610) 370-1978. E-mail: bullfrog@bullfrogfilms.com.

Slim Pickings, 4.5 min., directed by Anthony Lucas, Australia. Info: 3D Films, Studio One 40 Green Street, Prahran VIC 3181 Australia. Tel: (61) 3 9529 4399. Fax: (61) 3 9529 4188. E-mail: snork@netspace.net.au. URL: http://www.plasto-scene.com/au.

Wild Card, 3 min., directed by Van Phan, USA. Info: Van Phan, 4644 W. 137th St., Unit A, Hawthorne, CA 90250. Tel: (310) 840-8085. E-mail: vphan@usc.edu. URL: http://anim.usc.edu/phan/index.htm.

To Build a Better Mousetrap, 2 min., directed by Christopher Leone, USA. Info: Digital Filmworks, 3330 Cahuenga Blvd., Ste. 300, Los Angeles, CA 90068. Tel: (213) 874-9981. E-mail: leone@blackmire.com.

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

© Sultana Films. Courtesy of Bullfrog Films, Inc. - clip

Flight of the Stone
In this 15.5-minute film, we follow the path of a stone, which has been thrown by an angry young man. The stone travels across the world, causing havoc and startling many people along its way. The animation is achieved through time lapse, as well as (apparently) computer animation of the stone itself. This footage is interwoven with brief segments of live-action footage, mostly showing the reactions of individuals to the stone. Flight of the Stone would make a nice film for initiating a discussion of geography or cultural differences, though one or two scenes (such as the stone averting a potential suicide) might be considered too strong for young audiences. However, on the whole it is humorous and fun to watch.

Evidently, the director captured these sequences in a trip around the world, which included stops in Germany, France, the United States, Japan, Thailand, India and Greece. If it had been me, I might have shortened the film by about three minutes, since the idea gets a little strained by the end. Still, most of the footage is very interesting. Being from the Los Angeles area, I appreciate the images of a woman meditating and someone in a hot tub that obviously were meant to represent my locale. The film contains small amounts of dialogue in various languages, none of which greatly impacts one’s understanding of the events.