(21) Short Film Sunday #8: The Man Who Was Afraid of Falling (2011)

The Man Who Was Afraid of Falling (2011).

The Man Who Was Afraid of Falling is a little sweet stop-motion animation about an old man and his fear. Nevertheless it is an ambitious and well carried out graduation project of Joseph Wallace, director and writer, and Emma-Rose Dade, cinematographer, from Newport Film School. The film was made in the period of eight months, everything you see in it is hand made, even the little flowers, everything that moves in the film, is moved by hand, and that makes this film even more charming. The Man Who Was Afraid of Falling has received several awards, including Best Up and Coming Talent Award at Canterbury Anifest, and it has been nominated for several more, including BAFTA Cymru Short Form and Animation Award.

I stumbled upon this gem through Future Shorts page on Youtube, after making a little research on it, I realised that it has been made almost in my neighborhood, that is Newport, since now I am living in Cardiff. So on my list of things to do, I now have a visit to Newport Film School, to see whether I can stumble upon other gems that are being created there.

Back to The Man Who Was Afraid of Falling, it tells a story about Ivor, whose "life is turned upside down after a falling plant pot sparks a series of paranoid reactions". It's sweet, charming, inspiring, enjoyable, admirably well done and touching, after all we all are afraid of something. See for yourself how this story goes:

Here is a short interview with Joseph Wallace and a little peak into the making of the animation:

Have a lovely Sunday afternoon!

(20) Short Film Sunday #7: The Longest Daycare (2012)

The Longest Daycare (2012).

David Silverman the main director of The Simpsons Movie (2007) and the supervising director for The Simpsons series presents to us a short 3D animation film The Longest Daycare starring Maggie Simpson. I must admit I haven't seen all the seasons of The Simpsons, however it was refreshing to watch something that concentrates on Maggie. Executive producer Al Jean said to Entertainment Weekly, that it is "hard to do a 20-minute Maggie episode, but in four minutes it’s great. She’s like Charlie Chaplin." So it is, the animation is funny, sweet and charming, and it has no dialogue. But for a story with no dialogue and only 4 minutes in length, it has enough twists and turns. Doesn't matter if you are or if you are not the fan of The Simpsons, you will still enjoy this whimsical gem.

The short was originally screened on the big screen before Ice Age: Continental Drift, it was nominated for Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2013, but lost it to Paperman.

Sit back and enjoy!

Because it is father's day today in Latvia, here is something special for all the fathers. Never forget how special you are in your child's life.

(19) Short Film Sunday #6: Destino (2003)

Destino (2003).

Destino (2003) is collaborative work between Salvador Dalí, Walt Disney and Disney Studio artist John Hench. Although the project started in 1946 (a year after Dalí and Hitchcock's collaboration on Spellbound (1945)) it only saw daylight in 2003. Some say that Disney approached the famous surrealist Dalí because of criticism that Disney Studio received, that it sacrificed art and inventiveness over marketability, that is, Disney Studio preferred a safer way of doing things. There was no convincing needed on Dalí's side, he quickly started to sketch, draw and make the first storyboards. However, 8 months into producing, the project was cancelled due to financial problems, nevertheless, Dalí and Disney stayed lifelong friends. From their short collaboration only a 17 second long demo reel survives alongside several sketches, drawings and storyboards. 

Destino was forgotten until the Disney Studio started their work on Fantasia (1940) sequel Fantasia/2000 (1999), both of which are richly inspired by surrealism. Fantasia/2000 inspired Roy Edward Disney to re-start and finish Dalí and Disney's project. By using Dalí's notes and storyboards and a little bit of help from Hench himself, the six minute animation was brought to life and finally saw daylight being premiered at the New York Film Festival in 2003. Although, they tried to keep it as close as possible to the original Dalí work, using some  original methods of animation, there is a sense of modernity and modern animation techniques, so in the end it is a Disney Studio work inspired by Dalí, Hench and Disney's collaboration back in 1946. However, the 17 seconds long original footage is a part of the final project, it is the bit where two turtles moves towards each other. Destino won several awards and was also nominated for the Academy Awards as the Best Animated Short Film. The musical score of the animation is composed by Armando Dominguez and performed by Dora Luz.

"Destino" from Spanish means "destiny", and so Destino tells a tragic love story of Chronos (the personification of time) who falls in love with a mortal woman and as in love stories there is a complication, that being, they cannot be together. The animation depicts different transformations as they dance over the surrealistic landscapes of Dalí's paintings.

Dalí described Destino as, "A magical display of the problem of life in the labyrinth of time." In juxtaposition to that, Disney described it as, "A simple story about a young girl in search of true love."

No matter, it is a masterpiece, which more than half a century ago was born in the minds of two geniuses, and an enjoyable treat for a Sunday evening.