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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 4.12 - MARCH 2000
Fresh from the Festivals:
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 The Indescribable Nth. © Character Builders. |
The
Indescribable Nth
This appears to be a lucky year for Oscar Moore, who has managed
to score two animated shorts among this year's Oscar shortlist (after
his past nomination for the 1997 Redux Riding Hood). One
of them is The Indescribable Nth, a children's story about
a boy whose most treasured possession is a snow globe containing
a heart -- his own heart and the love that it embodies. This precious
item is guarded by the boy's father, treated roughly by his first
girlfriend, and finally treasured by a young woman who seems to
be his perfect match. The story is based on Moore's book of the
same title, published in 1991, and uses English-language narration
(Oscar went by his given name, Steve, at the beginning of his career,
so `Steve Moore' appears as its author).
Highlighting the film is the visual design of its characters. Black
line drawings on a white background create a strong graphic look
and capitalize on the studio's specialization: hand drawn animation.
Stylized and expressive, the film's characters and their environments
lend visual interest to the simple tale. The Indescribable Nth
was directed by Oscar Moore and produced by Character Builders,
a commercial animation studio which has contributed artwork to a
number of animated features, television series and commercials.
The studio was co-founded by Jim Kammerud, Jeff Smith (creator of
the Bone comic books), and Martin Fuller in 1986.
Fractured Fairy
Tales: The Phox, the Box and the Lox
The second of Moore's shortlisted works, The Phox, The Box
and The Lox, is likely to be the best-known of the shortlist
because it premiered before Universal Pictures' live-action comedy,
Dudley Do-Right. Based on a concept developed by Jay Ward
and a script by Bill Scott, head writer of Jay Ward Productions,
the film scores a lot of points for its nostalgia value. Produced
by Ward's daughter, Tiffany Ward, and featuring the voice talent
of legendary June Foray (the voice of Rocky, Natasha and Nell in
the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" series, among others), there
are strong ties to the `old Hollywood' system here.
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.
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Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail to editor@awn.com.