Desert Island Series
1996 Academy Award Nominees for Animated Short Subject

compiled by Frankie Kowalski


Welcome to our Desert Island; our first in a series and a unique part of our magazine. My monthly quest is to find out how animation (and other arts) impacts and influences internationally renowned animators, actors, directors, producers, musicians, and so on. You get the drift. Animation World Magazine asked of them the following question; "If stranded on a desert island, what 10 films would you want to have with you?"

Since we were scheduled to go on-line right after Oscar Mania time, we thought it would be fitting to ask all the Animated Short Subject nominees. These are their responses along with something a little extra - their reaction to getting nominated. Regrettably, Nick Park, who won the Oscar for
A Close Shave could not be reached for comment. We at Animation World Magazine wish to congratulate all of the nominees!

John R. Dilworth, director of The Chicken from Outer Space :

"When I completed The Chicken From Outer Space I sat alone with the film and thought I was done. I was satisfied. I had been making films since 1985 and finally believed I understood how to make a short animated film. I did not want to make another one. I wanted to go on to the next big thing, whether that was the Internet or features. Then out of nowhere the film began taking over my life and got itself nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject. It screwed up all my plans."

Top 10 cartoons if stranded on a desert island...

1. Red Hot Riding Hood, Tex Avery
2. King-Size Canary, Tex Avery
3. Bad Luck Blackie, Tex Avery
4. The Great Piggy Bank Robbery, Bob Clampett
5. Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs, Bob Clampett
6. Little Rural Riding Hood, Tex Avery
7. The Dover Boys, Chuck Jones
8. Corny Concerto, Bob Clampett
9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Chuck Jones
10. Stimpy's Big Day, John K.

Read also Dilworth's "And the Envelope, Please"

Chris Bailey, director of Runaway Brain :

"I think my excitement built slowly over the morning of the nomination. My brother Jeff called and woke me up with news that Runaway Brain had been nominated and I really didn't know how to react. I think I managed to say that's great news, thanks for calling and hung up. My wife Denise, asked who had called so early in the morning and when I gave her the news, she flipped! Everyone around me was excited, but I was kinda numb.

I stayed that way for much of the morning, but after a couple of hours of congratulatory phone calls from friends, the numbness wore off and I was able to enjoy the honor like a normal human."


Top 10 cartoons if stranded on a desert island...

1. Drip-Along Daffy
2. The Beedeviled Bruin
3. From A to Zzzzz
4. What Opera Doc, by Chuck Jones
5. Duck Amuck, by Chuck Jones
6. Stimpy's Invention,by John K.
7. Stimpy's Cartoon Show, by John K.
8. Bad Luck Blackie
9. Wild and Woolfy
10.The Wrong Trousers, by Nick Park


Chris Landreth and Robin Bargar, directors of The End:

"I was totally taken by surprise. The End is a pretty experimental and unconventional piece, both in its imagery and in its narrative structure. It is cool that the Academy is open to weird stuff like this. Yowz!"

Top 10 picks if stranded on a desert island...

1. Most of the books by Robert Anton Wilson
2. The entire compilation of the graphic novel Watchman by Alan Moore and David Gibbons
3. The Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston
4. All animation from Pixar
5. Any book with the works of John Hartfield
6. Gertie the Dinosaur and The Sinking of the Lusitania by Winsor McKay
7. All animation by Fréderic Back (The Mighty River, The Man Who Planted Trees)
8. The book The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler
9. Pinocchio , by Walt Disney
10. EVERYTHING that Robert Crumb has ever touched.

Robin Bargar:

"It's hard to be radical when the establishment nominates you for something. So we invent psuedo-radical and take the credit and publiciity with a wink and no apologies. Case in point."

Top 5 picks if stranded on a desert island...

1. Fantastic Planet , by René Laloux
2. Ballet Mechanique, a film by Ferdinand Leger
3. What's Opera Doc by Chuck Jones
4. Edward Muybridge, Xoopractographer, a film by Thom Anderson
5. Unreachable Homeless, a film by Klaus Wyborny


Alexei Kharitidi, director of Gagarin :

"When I heard about it, I couldn't believe it. Then I talked with my producer and was still very surprised. It is difficult to express my emotions because this film is close to my heart."

Top 6 picks if stranded on a desert island...

1. Sati-Mania by Gasparovich
2. The Tale of Tales by Norstein
3. The Jungle Book, the feature film by Disney
4. Feature films by Roman Polanski (Chinatown)
5. Feature films by Francis Ford Coppala (The Godfather I, II, II)
6. Russian Literature by Chekov, Nabokov, Tolstoy and Bunin

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© 1996 Animation World Network