DREAMS AND DESIRES: FAMILY TIES (2006) (***1/2)

This short is featured on the Animation Show Vol. 3 DVD.

In 2006, Joanna Quinn's DREAMS AND DESIRES - FAMILY TIES won top prizes at animation festivals around the world. Many felt it was a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination, but alas, as the Oscars often go in the Best Animated Short category, nothing is certain. It made my honorable mention list as part of the first RFP Overlooked Awards. Some say it’s the thick Welsh accents that did it in with the Yankees, which could be true, because for an untrained ear, it's hard to decipher at first. However, after seeing the film a few times, I found myself falling in love with it.

The protagonist, full-figured Beryl (Menna Trussler), is a character Quinn has visited two times before in GIRLS NIGHT OUT and BODY BEAUTIFUL. She is an earnest woman whose chief fault is that she tries too hard sometimes. Her new assignment is to film her raunchy relative's wedding. Seeing the events from Beryl's point of view, she captures many embarrassing moments, even creating a few with her overzealous attempts at tracking shots and strapping her camera to a dog's back.

Quinn's fluid animation is remarkable. The bizarre angles she creates as Beryl moves through the environment are simply amazing. Beryl is a charming character that we sympathize with. She has big goals and wild dreams, but her heart is in the right place. She also has a way of portraying a heavy-set woman honestly with beauty. Quinn returned to Beryl because she didn't want people to remember her only as the Charmin Bears woman. While the voice work takes some getting use, Beryl is a character worth returning to for continuing adventures and I look forward to more in the future.