Banaroo

   Banaroo is 2D animation by Grace Cooke from United Kingdom. The story follows a strange creature known as the Banaroo as he is taken on a epic journey around the world during Christmas Eve to get the gift he so desires.

   Now the first thing that definitely came to mind was how incredibly traditional this animation came off in terms of every aspect, from its visual style to its storytelling, I actually feel that this might have been a loving tribute of sorts to some of Disney's classics from the Bronze Age (Such as The Aristocats, Robin Hood, and most definitely The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh), especially in terms of the art style chosen for the character and background designs. And well, obviously, that had immediately won me over when it came to this beautifully animated tale.

   ... The drawback however is that the main character isn't as appealing as the creators clearly intended him to be. It is obvious that the designers wanted the audience to sympathise with him from the get go, and while he does get his sentimental happy ending, it falls short seeing as... we never truly empathised with him. This does not only include his less than appealing design, but how he is portrayed as well. The Banaroo seems like the biggest jerk from the very beginning, it doesn't matter whether he was feeling lonely or not as he sat in his fancy room full of royal luxuries and servant crabs (If my memory serves me right, sorry, I had watched this numerous months back, after all), he just never truly came across as likeable, no matter how hard they tried to write him as such.

   But overall, this is definitely one of the most impressive Graduation films featured at the festival, not simply for its duration, but also for its almost Disney-esque quality in animation.

Breaching the Seawall: Modern Love

   Breaching the Seawall: Modern Love is a CGI animation by Adam Wells from the United States. This animation tells the story of introvert Laurel Fantauzzo, who falls in love with another woman when moving to the Phillipines. The story is told in an almost nonchalant manner, despite the rather major events that take place from beginning to end... and well, that just adds to the overall charm of it. 

   I got such a contemporary feel from this animation in terms of its visual style (While I know many graphic artists have tend to specialise in this sort of art style, it will always remind me of Jessica Hische and her typography and illustration works), and while it isn't exactly as abstract as BAMPA, there are still some really clever visuals seen throughout, especially when transitioning from one setting to the next. 
    
   The animation's color palette, while vibrant, was somehow still able to set the mood of the story that is told by the narrator. These characters are practically composed of various simple geometric shapes (As seen above), with the main character herself transforming every now and then into a cube with a single eye (Which most possibly connects to her introvert tendencies). Overall, I feel that this is a pretty interesting way in telling a story like this, it might come off a little odd if not awkward in some parts (Mainly the story itself, especially when I feel like they are trying to insert some metaphors here and there, particularly when it comes to her bicycle... still haven't really gotten that part figured out yet, to be honest), but it is still a decent watch with really pretty and interesting graphics.

BAMPA

   BAMPA is an animated documentary by Daniel Evans from the United Kingdom. Through this short animation, a grandson reflects back on the deterioration of his beloved grandfather's mental health due to Alzheimer's disease, with all visuals presented through abstract motion graphics in showing the worsening condition of his grandfather. 

   The conceptual and/or abstract approach to things is something that can really strengthen the presentation of the chosen topic, or fall completely short. I believe however, that in this case, this was a really well-done piece of animation that managed to touch the majority of the audience that viewed it with me. This is definitely a much more clever way in showing his grandfather's deteriorating state of mind, especially to those are are less than familiar with Alzheimer's disease AS WELL as how much it affects the rest of his family whilst the helplessly watch on (Which makes me think, would a more literal if not traditional presentation create an impact just as strong? It certainly will depend on the chosen media, however). 

   As a documentary, it is meant to make others learn and become more aware about these sort of things, and Daniel Evans was certainly able to achieve that (And it's pretty obvious that the narration itself was read right from the heart...).

   

A Single Life

   A Single Life is a 2014 CGI short animation by Job, Joris and Marieke from Netherlands. I found it to be a cleverly well-paced little animation, with an effective execution in terms of its (Dark) humor. When the ending came, the majority of the audience (Including myself) practically gasped in horror, before groaning and laughing softly in disbelief (Hope that isn't enough to spoil it for you folks that haven't had the chance to watch it. But, compared to their previous work Mute (Which was hilariously cringeworthy for all the right reasons), this really isn't all that bad.

   Job, Joris and Marieke is a studio composed of three folks, aside from animation (Obviously), this trio also specialise in illustration, character design and music. And from the song that I have heard in A Single Life, I do believe that they are just as gifted in that area as they are with the humorously dark animated works. In terms of its visuals, it is definitely interesting to note that this studio goes for such a bright and cartoony (If not adorable) style when it comes to most if not all of their works, practically leading the viewers on before realising there is more to these cutesy characters and settings than we initially believed. Nonetheless, I can certainly appreciate their character designs and vibrant color palettes (As seen above), and quite frankly, it still goes really well with their tone of story and joke telling.

   So, hat's off to you guys. I actually look forward to seeing more of your works. And speaking of which, I should probably go check out the rest of your animations on your website now.

Gantt Chart

   Seeing as I posted an older version on my Studio Practice blog for Extended Practice, I figured that I might post the slightly updated version on here instead. There aren't many changes to it (Seeing as I already included all my classes in there, including PPP3), as well as the event I am planning to attend such as MCM Liverpool, I made sure to include off days for myself this time round (I actually didn't do this for the Gantt chart I made for Applied Animation 2) and, that's about it... really.

#286

   #286 is a stop animation Israelian animation directed by Einat Rudman and Shani Zaltsman that premiered at Manchester Animation Festival under the Graduation Films in Competition 2 Category. Starting off with your typical mad scientist who is absolutely set on creating the most evil creature that humanity would have ever seen. His 286th experiment however, turns out to be the complete opposite of that, an adorable ball of fluff that wants his beloved creator to love him.

   I suppose I always had a little soft spot for these types of animations where there is no real dialogue and that the story is told through actions alone (And a few adorable grunts and squeaks). I am rather curious especially about what the mad scientist is made of (I mean, it's obvious that his clothes is made of fabric), while it is evident that his creation is made of fabric, from what I have seen of my own classmate's puppets, the mad scientist himself might have been made of silicon. I can't say for certain, seeing that I don't necessarily specialise in stop-motion (Or plan to), but, I can always appreciate how much work is put into it (Why else would I be talking about this animation, then?).
   
   There is so much detail put into the setting and props (Are those little glass tubes really made of glass? Either that or, well done when it comes to the sound effects during those scenes). It really does feel like a real little basement laboratory, with the chalkboard and notes being plastered all over the walls.

   Speaking of which, there was only one little thing that bothered me about the animation, and that is the fact that the sound design. While I did compliment it earlier, it honestly could have used a little more polished in terms of its volume as it tends to get abruptly loud at times, such as when the mad scientist suddenly starts yelling. Though, I still did enjoy the voices that were given to the scientist and of course, the creature itself (Effectively cute without being the least bit obnoxious).

   Overall, it was a very endearing little story, a simple plot that can be enjoyed by all, with appealing little characters and beautifully done setting and props. Now, after all that, I think it's time that you go ahead and watch it for yourself (Yes, yes, I know how incredibly late this little write up is... stay tune for more).

#286 from Einat Rudman on Vimeo.