The Phox, the Box and the Lox.

The Phox, the Box and the Lox is about a savvy fox (who spells his name with a `Ph') who gets one of the village idiots to open a treasure chest for him. The short perfectly reflects the style for which Jay Ward shorts were so well known: the `fractured fairy tale' story structure, the familiar voice-over announcer, and characters who not only directly address the audience but also deliver very witty dialogue all contribute to its success. What appeared to be two small glitches in the artwork (one during a run cycle and the other a mismatched arm movement in a cut) took me by surprise, given that this is a big studio production, but in all other respects the film seems to be a flawless crowd pleaser.

Monsieur Pett or The Man Who Couldn't Help It
Visual design is a high point in this film as well. Director Oscar Grillo sites such influences as the UPA Studio, Picasso, Klee and Miro, among others -- and they are all apparent here. Flattened spaces, blocks of (largely pastel) colors, altered perspectives, and interesting lines result in a film that is beautiful in its look. These devices are complemented by special effects, such as limited depth of field and an interesting means of depicting water -- hard to describe in words but nice to watch.

Monsieur Pett. © Klacto Animations.

Now the major issue I have with the film: it is a 23-minute film about a man with flatulence. This Monsieur Pett is at first understandably embarrassed. He is shunned by his family, employer and the public, but eventually comes to believe that he has a certain gift. I realize that one of the men upon whom the film apparently is based, Joseph Pujol, is a legendary `fart artist' from France. And I know that a certain portion of the public finds such performances to be highly amusing. I just find it unfortunate that such a beautiful film -- and such a long one -- takes on this subject matter. However, since the film was short listed for an Academy Award, one must assume that its form and content are recognized as being worthy of acclaim.

Assuming that flatulence and the people who prefer it for entertainment are in fact validated, in animation or otherwise, my suggestion would have been to shorten this film by at least five minutes. It takes a long time for the film to move beyond the initial `act' of the film, in which it is established that the character has an emissions problem. For example, it feels unnecessary to show the man with his family and in his workplace twice. A variety of public situations are also depicted before the man finally comes to understand that he is not alone and that he should be proud of his unique abilities. This is a stylish one or maybe two gag film that could be strengthened by some editing.