The Snowman. © Duck Soup Studios, 2001.

The Snowman
Demonstrating again the inestimable value of a good central idea and a well-shaped narrative, The Snowman presents a hilarious account of what happens when some unwitting space aliens try to wrest the Earth's secrets from the wrong guy. Though The Snowman is basically a one-joke film, director Lane Nakamura knows how to get the most out of the circumscribed parameters and, if he occasionally overplays his hand and stretches out the proceedings rather longer than necessary, the deadpan humor and little narrative touches raise the work to the level of good silent comedy. The 3D animation is relatively simple, composed primarily of static shots and straight-on camera angles, but the choices are appropriate for the story and if, in the end, The Snowman isn't quite Knickknack (that title character looks awfully familiar), it succeeds admirably on its own terms.

A graduate of UCLA's School of the Arts, Lane Nakamura played a pivotal role in transforming Duck Soup Studios from a traditional animation house into a full-service CG production facility. He's worked extensively in commercials, including spots for Nestlé, Wal-Mart and Whirlpool. The Snowman, which is Duck Soup's first 3D short, was created with Alias|Wavefront's Maya software and has screened at the World Animation Celebration, the Stockholm International Film Festival and the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, among others.

War Game. © Illuminated Films, Ltd., 2001.

War Game
Based on the book by Michael Foreman, War Game is the story of three English boys, members of the same football (i.e., soccer) team, who get caught up in the national war fever and enlist together to fight in World War I. Though the book and the film are a fictionalized account, the centerpiece of the story -- a remarkable spontaneous truce that occurs between the Germans and the English on Christmas day -- is based on an actual incident. It's powerful material, and the filmmakers do their best to capture not only this unique event, but also the grim realities of life in the trenches and the ultimate futility of war. Unfortunately, War Game suffers from an overabundance of earnestness and a kind of literalness that leads to one-dimensional characterizations and a belabored quality that prevents the film from achieving its desired effects. The watercolor visual style, which emulates the look of the original illustrations, is frequently quite beautiful and effective, but the cartoonish rendering of the characters, which might have worked on the page, is less successful on the screen.

Director Dave Unwin has been involved in animation since 1970. Among his many award-winning productions are Willows in Winter (1996), Wind in the Willows (1995), and The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies & Mrs. Tittlemouse (1994). Most recently, he developed and directed Preston Pig, a series for ITV based on books by Colin McNaughton. The poignant score for War Game was composed by Julian Nott, whose other credits include Nick Park's Wallace & Gromit films, as well as many other animated films, live-action features and TV dramas.

Jon Hofferman is an independent filmmaker, writer and graphic designer, as well as the creator of the Classical Composers Poster (www.carissimi.com). He has a B.A. in Philosophy & Religion and an M.F.A. from UCLA's School of Film & Television. Appropriately enough, he is currently working on a documentary about the nature of religious experience.