On A Desert Island With....

This month professors from three leading animation schools answered the following question: "If you were stranded on a desert island with only ten films to screen to your students, to teach them the principles, techniques and concepts of the art of animation, what would they be?"

Jules Engel is director of California Institute of the Arts' Experimental Animation Program. Paul Driessen is head of the animation department at the University of Kassel in Germany. Eric Ubben is the animation course coordinator at the Kask Gent school in Belgium. In addition, all are independent filmmakers whose creations continue to teach principles of animation to more students than they will ever know.

[1]

[1]

Jules Engel's top ten:

1. Band Concert by Walt Disney.
2. The Nose by Alexander Alexeieff and Claire Parker.
3. Two Sisters by Caroline Leaf.
4. Study no. 6 by Oskar Fischinger.
5. Study no. 8 by Oskar Fischinger.
6. Filter Gallery by Erick Darnell.
7. Tenderly by John Hubley.
8. The Trap by Amy Kravitz.
9. The Demon by Kihachiro Kawamoto.
10. Game of Angels by Walerian Borowczyck.

[2]

[2]

Paul Driessen's picks:

1. Satiemania by Zdenko Gasparovic, for its combination of abstraction and cartoon, inspired by the soundtrack.
2. Blinkety Blank by Norman McLaren. The power of abstinence.
3. Night on Bald Mountain by Alexander Alexeieff and Claire Parker, for the beauty of its inventive graphic technique.
4. Creature Comforts by Nick Park, for its amazing mimics and deadpan humor.
5. Revolver by Stig Bergquist and Jonas Odell. The graphics are close to my heart, and it has such wee-suited, minimal music.
6. La Traverse de l'Atlantic (Journey Across The Atlantic) by Francois Laguione, a master of cut-out atmosphere.
7. Furies by Sara Petty, for its beautifully captured movement. Madame love cubisme.
8. Broken Down Film by Osamu Tezuka. The best use of intentional errors.
9. Tempest (excerpts) by George Dunning. Stunning Dunning.
10. Some of my films, to share the concepts I came up with, mainly concerning perception, story structure and economy.

[3]

[3]

Eric Ubben's selections:

1. Tale of Tales by Yuri Norstein.
2. The Man Who Planted Trees by Frederic Back.
3. Hill Farm by Mark Baker.
4. Pinocchio by Walt Disney.
5. Street of Crocodiles by The Brothers Quay.
6. The complete works of Norman McLaren.
7. The Wrong Trousers by Nick Park.
8. Knick-Knack by John Lasseter.
9. State of the Art: Tate Gallery by D. Van de Vondel.
10. Little Wolf by An Vrombaut.