Blue Sky Studios' No Time For Nuts showcases the software advances has allowed CG artists to bring more and more classic cartoon elements to CG than ever before.

As in previous years, works from students and smaller studios distinguished themselves with unique features. In Burning Safari from Gobelins, a group of robots from outer space make first contact with primitive apes, with a result as painful as it is abrupt. The short is produced with a successful blend of traditional animation with computer graphics that gives it a very distinct 2D feel. The Itch's surreal story was well served by its very old fashioned, simple 3D style, while The Recent Future Robot: HELPER Z drew rounds of applause with its brutal, slapstick humor.

This year's award winning movies went far beyond storytelling and visual effects. Each one explored the humanity and emotions of a character who has lost something precious: hope, love or usage of his legs -- and eventually finds redemption in unique ways. All three movies were rewarded for their very high production value, their artistic vision and the emotions they communicate.

Winner of the Best of Show award, Ark, was the only movie in this selection with a darker, more sinister theme. With a mix of realism and caricatures, blending CG characters in extraordinarily detailed photographed miniatures, this short takes you on an individual journey into memory and nightmares, as all hope for humanity is lost to an unforgiving virus.

The Jury Honors was awarded to Dreammaker, a graduation project from the prestigious Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Shot for more than four years, Dreammaker tells the story of an old misanthrope alchemist obsessed with the quest for the dream of his lost love. Actually, this movie was so long, a special trailer had to be made to fit in the Electronic Theater selection. Fortunately, the complete version was part of the selection of the Animation Theater.

Best of Show winner Ark mixes reality and fantasy into one breathtaking experience. © Grzegorz Jonkajtys, Marcin Kobylecki. 

My personal favorite, En Tus Brazos, from Supinfocom Valenciennes, a prolific French school, received the Award of Excellence for its dynamic, perfect capture of the spirit of tango stolen from a careful study of real dances. Taking inspiration from film noir movies and artists, this short invoked a rare emotion by portraying the greatest tango dancer in the world recovering usage of his legs during an imaginary dance in the arms of his wife. As a genre, Computer Graphics needs a lot more movies of this caliber.

Computer graphics are so pervasive; it is easy to take them for granted. Watching the Electronic Theater is a perfect antidote. It is a fantastic way to restore that magical sense of awe that comes seeing things again for the first time.

Laurent Alquier received his PhD in Computer Vision from the University of Montpellier II (France) in 1998. A year later, he joined Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey , where he works as a software engineer in Pharmaceutical Research.

In 2000, his interest for computer graphics turned into something more serious than a hobby when he discovered online communities such as Renderosity. As part of this community, he created several contest winning images. In 2004, he joined the Renderosity team as a columnist and a moderator dedicated to e-on software's Vue Suite

Alquier is a fervent advocate of the democratization of computer graphics tools. His figurative imagery is at the crossroad between virtual photography and painting, taking inspiration from fantasy illustrators, sci-fi movies, horror writers and photo reporters.