Professional 3
Marilyn Myller (Mikey Please, UK and USA)
This was probably one of the most amazingly done stop motion animations I have seen yet, aside from the fact that nearly everything was made out of foam (It's astounding how he made his characters' clothing and hair flow like that!), the lighting done for the entire thing really creates that atmosphere that the animator was aiming for (He had explored into various means for that aspect too).
I would tear my hair out if I ever attempted doing something at least 1/100 of this calibre. (I have so much respect right now for this man)
Mr Hublot (Lauren Witz, France)
As a 3D CGI animation, Mr Hublot takes advantage of creating highly detailed characters and settings for its story, and not only that, but is also one of the most creatively done ones to boot (While considerably human in appearance, the main character has a most interesting feature about him, where his thought process is practically shown on his forehead with flickering numbers).
Character designs were absolutely wonderful for this (I mean who doesn't like steampunk?), while perhaps strange in appearances, their personalities and mannerisms are very relatable, such as the main character's OCD-ness and the lovable little robot doggie.
Obida (Anna Budanova, Russia)
Translated as "The Wound", the sketchy animation style sets the mood for the pitiful main character and works well when portraying the creature that she considers as her only friend, while at times almost giving a sense of hope that things could actually change for her, sadly this animation doesn't end on a positive note. The art style reminds me a tad of Joanna Quinn's in all honesty, but just a little. Overall the animation is beautiful in a melancholy way.
My Three Grandmas (Katalin Glaser, Hungary)
What was particularly outstanding about this animation was its storytelling and utterly endearing characters, it was a really nice way to end off the Professional 3 animation reel by presenting something so sweet and heartfelt. The visuals were really entertaining too with not all scenes being presented in a literal manner (Such as one of her grandmother having such cat-like eyes that she switches between being a human and cat, and the bear that happily eats the jam she makes).
The Odd Sound Out (Ida Maria Schouw Andrease, Pernille Sihm, Denmark)
While "My Three Grandmas" was a nice way to end the Professional 3 reel, "The Odd Sound Out" was just as nice a way to start off the Student 2 animation reel. Everything about this animation was simply fantastic, it had beautiful visuals, a suitable animation style, and an interesting story with creatively designed physical manifestations of sound that is unique to each individual.
This is one of my most favorite 2D computer animation now.
Rabbit and Deer (Peter Vacz, Hungary)
I can see why this animation won so many awards, especially since it so cleverly and effectively mixes together 2D Computer, Hand Drawn and Puppets to explore how different dimensions can interact with one another. Also aside from that, it really is a very sweet story about how far a friendship can go between two people, will they be able to accept new changes or will it be the end?
The Magnificent Lion Boy (Ana Caro, UK)
A classic tale of heartbreak about a boy that is practically taken out of his natural habitat and almost immediately forced into a whole new way of living. The animation technique is especially visually interesting (The illustration style appears to be a mixture of several different mediums such as pencils, charcoal, graphite, chalk), by mixing traditionally drawn frames with some computer animation, it all makes for a very engaging form of storytelling. Also Andy Serkis is in this.
Miss Todd (Kristina Yee, UK)
Though a tad cheesy (In a hilariously good way), Miss Todd is another beautiful example of cut out animation, the characters were gorgeously drawn (Albeit slightly resembling Disney and Don Bluth characters), settings were wonderfully done, and the simplified animation that is normally used for cut out animations was pretty well done, you could barely notice the stiffness of their movements.
Also props to the animator for going through the effort of getting songs done for this animation.
As a huge fan of psychological horror (Particularly game based ones), I honestly found the storyline for this one to be rather cliche, nonetheless, it was still executed really well, especially when it came to the atmosphere and ambience, I like the fast paced, nightmarish sequence as the main character futility attempts to escape and deny the truth of the sin he had committed.
Looking at all the animations from the Student Reel, I just think to myself about what other amazing works they will be able to create for the Professional Reel. It is all very inspiring stuff seeing how talented these student animators are.
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