ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 5.9 - DECEMBER 2000

My Week In India As A Master of Animation
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An example of the elaborate costumes worn for the traditional temple folk dance "Theyyam" of North Kerala. Photo courtesy of Toonz Animation.

Bill Dennis rightly sees India as an opportunity waiting to happen. I mean here you have a billion people who adore films and watch Indian made live-action all the time. They are culturally very rich and have so many stories to tell about their lives and their struggles and their history. Not to mention the wealth of folk tales, although I must say, I do get a bit disheartened when I hear about making animated folk tales. I so much prefer original, contemporary human stories told from a personal, subjective point of view. I also like funny films, of course, but with a human truth to them. There are just so many stories in India without having to bother regurgitating old folk stories in a new medium.

Amongst our 'tasks' during the week was to judge a festival of mostly student shorts from India and South East Asia. There was a wide range of styles and qualities, but lots of talent and artistry was in evidence, if perhaps in its early stages of development. Some quite sophisticated stuff and some stuff which appeared as though the filmmaker got bored and so finished it quickly without bothering to do some re-shooting or attending to a proper sound track. Come to think of it, I guess it wasn't really all that different from most festivals.

Parties, Picnics and Princesses
We also attended numerous parties and fun events. The organisers seemed to get a package deal on an Indian pop group who did covers of Seventies and Eighties hits. Dire Straights, Stones, Pink Floyd, Dylan... It was all there and they were actually pretty good at what they did, but we did hear the same set on three different occasions. I would have so much preferred 'The Bootleg Ravi Shankar's' despite the fact that they were probably there to please our Western musical palette. The Indian people liked them and danced a lot, but not with the opposite sex. The boys could only dance with each other, and, come to think of it, the woman didn't dance. Odd how people can be working on computers in the Technopark, but still be encumbered with the practice of not being able to dance with the opposite sex. Still, I didn't dance either, but not for religious reasons. I had to stay true to my wife, Alison. Mind you I rarely dance with her either.

Riding atop an elephant, David Fine gets a better look at India's scenery. Photo courtesy of Toonz Animation.

We also had a fabulous picnic with elephants. Not elephants sitting with us around a blanket hogging the potato salad, but provided for us to have rides on. This is a place where elephants are not uncommon as household pets. They are very useful for carrying heavy stuff around. On the other hand, you want to make sure they are house trained. I've never seen such a huge dump come out of anything. We all couldn't help but stare, which I hope wasn't uncomfortable for the elephants. Still, they didn't seem too concerned about privacy. It's just such a different culture!

I did go for my ride, although I was reluctant. I was a bit queasy that day and so my sense of adventure was tempered by the fear of throwing up on the back of this great beast. I was helped on and it seemed to be okay until the elephant got up. I didn't throw up, but the sensation of being lifted in the air by this huge animal was unbelievable. They appear such heavy, docile things, but their power is so impressive. I had heard of an elephant who had killed its trainer and then trampled him flat as a pancake. Literally flat. I just couldn't get that thought out of my head so I was keen to get it over with and retreat to safety.

We also went on a tour of the city of Trivandrum. This included a visit to what was a palace at one time, but which was now a very dusty and hot former palace full of dusty artefacts. The best part of the tour was that we bumped into a woman who was actually a princess connected to this palace. She found out that we did animation and she asked us why so many cartoons were so violent. She referred to, as she put it, "Tom and that other one. What's its name? Jimmy? Jerry?" We explained that we didn't do that kind of work. I said that my films usually contain penises and some swearing. Well, I didn't say it, but I thought it. I wondered what she would make of Plympton's films. Mutant Aliens has sex and violence, but I've never seen the two together in the way Bill does it. In one scene a man's eye is poked out by the protruding nipple of a large breasted woman. Everyone's afraid of that. That's why I wear impact resistant glasses.

Between all this, I got to laze around the pool and eat pineapples and drink fresh coconut juice. The food was fabulous, if you like Indian food, which I adore, and the people are amongst the kindest and friendliest people I have ever met. Surprising that, considering the unbelievable security at the airports. I guess there's a few bad apples out there.

In the end, this was no less than an unforgettable life experience and I was honoured and thrilled to be a part of it. The whole event was wonderfully organised and I started to get used to being called a "Master." When you're toiling away at your films you never imagine that it might result in getting invited to some swanky do in some exotic part of the world like India and yet, there I was. Lucky me!

Visit the all new David Fine and Alison Snowden Website for information and images from Bob and Margaret and more of this imaginative couple's work.

David Fine is the co-creator and co-writer of the TV series, Bob and Margaret. He and his wife Alison Snowden, also created the Oscar winning short film Bob's Birthday from which the series is based. They both work out of London where they are presently consulting on 26 new episodes of Bob and Margaret while developing new ideas and playing with their three year old daughter, Lily.

 
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