Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

New York is in Festival mode. The Tribeca Film Festival is here with all the flashiness that it’s offered in the past. I have to assume that there are some animated shorts playing in their festival, but I’ve had a hell of a time trying to find any via their website. Two or three titles included “Shrek”!!! Sorry.

I do know that George Griffin has a film, The Bather, playing as part of the Shorts in Competition: Documentary.

The Festival guide includes this description: A woman is observed showering behind a translucent curtain. Gradually the view is obscured by a superimposed flipbook: a sequence of drawings of a dancing woman. As a harpsichord prelude interrupts the environment of natural sounds, the dancer is freed from the pages and cavorts in a multiplicity of erotic gestures as if propelled by the throbbing contrapuntal tempo. Moving through the overlapping images a string of words suggests sources, motives, and memories.

The schedule for this short is:
4/23 9:45pm AMC Village VII 4
4/30 4:15pm AMC Village VII 7
5/2 6:15pm AMC Village VII 7
5/3 5:30pm Tribeca Cinemas theater 1

At the same time, the BEFilm Underground Film Festival graces what few theaters are left in the city. Here’s the schedule for shorts playing about town. I’ve highlighted some films by local stars.

Tuesday April 28, 7- 9PM
The Dolby Screening Room / 1350 Ave. of the Americas

The Lost Tribes of New York City (2mn), Animation, Carolyn & Andy London
You’re Outa Here (3mn), Animation, Dir. Georges Griffin
Majken (28mn), Narrative,
Dir. Andrea Ostlund
Unnatural History of Wall Street (1mn) Animation, Dir.Gary Lieb
Waste (11mn), Narrative, Dir. Bragi Thor Hinrikson
Test (12mn), Narrative, Dir. Marta Aledo & Natalia Mateo
Birth (12mn), Animation, Dir. Signe Baumane
This is Her (12mn), Narrative, Dir. Katie Wolfe
Spore 3D (2min), Spec, Dir. Isaiah Saxon and Sean Hellfritsch
Mandala 3D (4 min), Experimental, Dir. Paul Aaron Johnson
Bjork – Wanderlust (6 min), Music film, Dir. Isaiah Saxon and Sean
Hellfritsch

Wednesday April 29, 7- 9PM
The Disney Screening Room / 500 Park Ave (SW Corner of 59th St)

Mother’s Day (2mn), Animation, Dir. David Lobser
Tony Zoreill (20mn), Narrative, Dir. Valentin Potier
Missed Aches (4mn), Animation, Dir. Joanna Priestley
The Nail (15mn), Narrative, Dir. Benedikt Eslingsson
Procrastination (4mn), Animation, Dir. John Kelly
Success (10mn), Narrative, Dir. Diederik Ebbinge
This Way Up (9mn), Animation, Dir. Smith & Foulkes
Life is Hard (20mn), Narrative, Dir. Gabriel Sirbu
Life On A Limb (6mn), Animation, Dir. David Chai
Come Coco 3D (5 min), animation/live action, Dir. Santiago Caicedo

Thursday April 30, 7- 9PM
The Disney Screening Room / 500 Park Ave (SW Corner of 59th St)

Photo (10mn), Animation, Dir. Maryam Kalilzade
Mutt (7mn), Animation, Dir. Glen Hunwick
Out of The Blue (10mn), Narrative, Dir. Michael Lavelle
Just In Case (5mn), Animation, Dir. Joshua Frankel
The C in Allah (5mn), Documentary, Dir. Eileen White
Brothers in Arms (4mn), Animation, Dir. Elliot Cowan
On The Road To Tel-Aviv (19mn), Narrative, Dir. Khen Shalem
Dany Cohen’s Bengay (1mn), Spec, Dir. Willy Hartland
Les Vulnerables (14mn), Narrative, Dir. Bent – Jorgen Perlmutt
Global Warming (2mn), Animation, Dir. Igor Coric
Skylight (5mn), Animation,Dir. David Baas
Remember My Name (12mn), Narrative, Dir. Bo Duffy

Thursday April 30, 7- 9PM
The Gershwin Hotel Screening Room / 7 East 27th St.

Oscar Wilde/Company of Thieves (5mn), Music Video, Dir. Jason Hinkie
People Are Animals (2mn), Animation, Dir. Chris Papa
The Japanese Sandman (11mn), Narrative, Dir. Ed Buhr
Little Face (10mn), Narrative, Dir. Matthew Walker & Benjamin Lole
Feast (3mn), Animation, Dir. Jihyun Ahn & Adel Kerpely
Spacemen Three (13mn), Narrative, Dir. Hugh O¹Conor
Dog With Electric Collar (6mn), Animation, Dir. Steve Baker
6.5 Minutes in Tel Aviv (6.5mn), Narrative, Dir. Mirie Baraness
Dany Cohen’s Rhinestones (1mn), Spec, Dir. Willy Hartland
Coal Spell (8mn), Animation, Dir. Sun Xun
Jukka (12mn), Experimental, Dir. Emmanuel Trousse
Hope Springs Eternal (7mn), Animation, Dir. Ron Noble
Orange Juice (12mn), Narrative, Dir. Ronan Moucheboeuf
Galaxy 3D (3 min), animation, Dir. Santiago Caicedo
A Sign(6mn), Narrative, Dir. Josephine Mackerras

Friday May 1, 7- 9PM
The Disney Screening Room / 500 Park Ave (SW Corner of 59th St)

Glory To The Conquerors of Space 3D (7mn), Animation, Dir. Ryan Suits
Breaking and Entering 3D (3mn), Experimental, Dir. Korinna McRobert
Breath (2mn), Experimental, Dir. John Thompson
Lost & Found (5mn), Narrative, Dir. Catherine Bolliet & Jerry Chen
CU@ED’S (13mn), Narrative, Dir. Casey Stangl
Santa: The Fascist Years (4mn), Animation, Dir. Bill Plympton
Kate Wakes (17mn), Narrative, Dir. Jasmine Kosovic
Sleeping World (30 s), Spec, Dir. George Kyrtsis
Caught In The Net (10mn), Narrative, Dir. Stephanie Kleinhenz
Couch Therapy (1mn), Spec, Dir. Jen McGowan
Vandalen (16mn), Narrative, Dir. Simon Steuri
Red Rabbit (8mn), Animation, Dir. Egmont Mayer
Side Effects (9mn), Narrative, Dir. Chuck Rose
Animated American (15mn), Narrative, Dir. Joe Haidar
Surprise (18mn), Narrative, Dir. Fabrice Maruca

Saturday May 2, 7- 9PM
The Dolby Screening Room / 1350 Ave. of the Americas

AWARDS CEREMONY

Bonaroo 3D (2min), Spec, Dir. Elliot Jokelson
Downlove 3D (7 min), narrative/experimental, Dir. Euripides Laskarides
Porque Hay Cosas (12mn), Narrative, Dir. Lucas Figueroa
Descendants (10mn), Animation, Dir. Helko Van Der Scher
The Thaw (6.5mn), Narrative, Dir. Jean Francois Nadeau
KJFG #5 (2mn), Animation, Dir. Alexei Alexeev
Struck (7mn), Narrative, Dir. Taron Lexton
That Hand Film(1mn), Animation, Dir. Adam Ansorge
Uncovered (15mn), Narrative, Dir. Matthew Linnell
Germans In The Woods (3mn), Animation, Dir. Rauch Brothers
Made In Japan (5mn), Narrative, Dir. Ciro Altabas
Poker (.5mn), Spec, Dir. Irene Borrego
Pal/Secam (15mn), Narrative, Dir. Dmitri Povolotsky
The Royal Nightmare (4mn), Animation, Dir. Alex Budovsky

INTERMISSION

Awards Ceremony

My favorite post of the day comes from one of my favorite blogs, Blather from Brooklyn by Annulla. Take a look at the little gems she has posted.

- Animatsaya in English is a site I visit frequently even though it doesn’t change that frequently. It’s a site that gives a good insiders view of Russian animation. Currently, I think they’re doing some of the best animation worldwide. Not too long ago, Niffiwan, the site’s host, offered a translation of a Russian article about the effect of the financial crisis on Russian animation. Naturally, the results were devastatingly bad.

However, toward the end of the piece, several prominent animators were asked their opinion, and I thought that Yurij Norstein offered some valuable words. Hence, I repost them here:

It has always been difficult for an artist, but today is doubly difficult. Always difficult, because the artist, in general, is a person who finds it difficult to live with himself. Today is doubly hard, because the lack of money and the constant attention to the question of “how to get money” kills art by half.

But it is also obvious that it is very difficult without a community. If we lose each other, then we will all be worth one kopek, and it is unlikely that we are individually worth something and can do something. I, of course, am talking about my own experiences at “Soyuzmultfilm”. And although we did not have ideal relations, though we argued with each other, we were still a community, and our only desire, emotional and mental, was to make a film be as good as possible.

The last thing we thought about was the market, what would sell … If you remember, say, the Renaissance, an artist back then sought primarily to make something. This is why the artist must be at the head of everything.

I suggest you visit the site and read the entire article. Things in your community may not be as bleak as you thought.

- Jeff Scher has one of his lively animation pieces in the NYTimes, in case you haven’t seen it recently. This is an ode to Spring. “Welcome Back.” It’s another excellent spot by Jeff, and I urge you to view it. We have to support the animation on newspaper sites. It’s the way of the future, and the newspapers should know it. The only way that can happen is for the pieces to get hits. Go there.

- Thad Komorowski has some positive words about a Fox & Crow cartoon, (they’re not easy to find) and Bob Jaques has an excellent post about Paramount animator, Tom Golden.

- Michael Barrier has an interesting piece on his site reviewing two Disney books: Amid Amidi’s The Art of Pixar Shorts and Don Hahn’s The Alchemy of Animation. I certainly agree with what Mike has to say. I’d already commented on Amid’s attractive book on this site back in February; as a matter of fact, I actually wrote about all of Amid’s books. I haven’t seen Don Hahn’s new book yet, but, if it’s like his last book, my general feeling was that I wish he’d dig a little deeper. He has a lot to say and he has the ability to write. I’d really like to see him write about the job of producing a Disney animated feature. He’s in a select club, and it’d be interesting to hear his heartfelt comments. Maybe someday.

- Ponyo on the Cliff, as you may already know, is going to be released theatrically by Disney in an English language version on Aug. However, if you’re as manic about Miyazaki’s work as I am, you may want to send, in advance, for the Japanese dvd which will be released in July. It includes English subtitles. That edition is available for pre-order now at Amazon.jp.

There will be two versions of this DVD. There is a basic edition and there is a nine disc set that includes the film, a twelve-hour five-disc making of documentary, and a two disc live performance from Miyazaki’s regular composer Joe Hisaishi. That peculiar documentary is also available on its own, in case you want to wait for the American version of the film and just want this extra. It would appear to me that the extras do not have English subtitles.

To keep up with news of this material, you might want to be watching Daniel Thomas MacInnes‘ excellent site, Ghibli Blog. It was recently remodelled and has an attractive new format. You’ll find 6 excellent clips from this Miyazaki film on this site. (Go here and scroll down a bit.)

- Here’s another site that I’m sure you are all aware of, but it doesn’t hurt to keep mentioning it. The National Film Board of Canada has on their site quite a few of their classic films for viewing, for free. If you’re not aware of these films or haven’t seen them, then got there and look. There are some absolute classic gems there in good editions.

Make sure you at least see the following shorts:

Start with these two Caroline Leaf shorts:
The Street
Two Sisters

Then go at random to any of these:
The Sweater – Sheldon Cohen
The Big Snit – Richard Condie
Cat’s Cradle – Paul Driessen
The Great Toy Robbery – Jeff Hale
The Romance of Transportation in Canada – Colin Low
The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin - Janet Perlman__________________________Caroline Leaf’s brilliant film The Street
Walking – Ryan Larkin
When the Day Breaks – Wendy Tilby Amanda Forbis
Christmas Cracker – Norman McLaren, Gerald Potterton, Grant Munro, Jeff Hale

and, it goes without saying that you should know by heart the following Norman McLaren shorts:
Begone Dull Care
A Chairy Tale
La Merle
Hen Hop

Now, if I can make a request of the NFB: please add the Hubley short, The Cruise, to this list. It’s rarely seen and an important film in the canon of Hubley’s work.
Hubley’s The Cruise

- In case you’ve missed all the press releases, Fox has a new show premiering on Sunday evening at 8:30 PM Eastern. Sit Down Shut Up comes from the mind of Mitchell Hurwitz. He was the creator of Arrested Development, a writer on The Ellen Show and The Golden Girls. His writing compatriots come from the staff of Two and A Half Men. The voice cast is filled with a lot of talented comedians.

A lotta heavy-duty TV credentials.

There’s a NYTimes article in Friday’s paper which includes a confusing clip. And here’s another article in Saturday’s paper.
The NYDaily News review is headlined: From the Grossout School of Comedy and gives it three stars.
Variety‘s review includes the line: “Seemingly preoccupied with impressing teenage boys, the show should possess scant appeal outside that demo.”

Hmmm.

- Far and away, one of the most consistently excellent and important animation sites out there is Hans Perk‘s extraordinary AFilmLa. The documents Hans posts regularly are just incredible. Where does he find them?

Currently he’s running a patent filing for “The Blend“. Mary Louise Weiser, head of the Ink and Paint Department at the Walt Disney Studios in 1939, registered two patents for inventions she claimed for the Disney studio.

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Hans posts all of the patent documents and a brilliant photo of Mary Louise Weiser.

By the way, I also note that the comments on Hans’ site are always so few. It’s impossible to believe that so few have anything to say about the material that’s found there!

- Last Monday, PBS premiered a documentary on two women entrepreneurs — Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. The Powder and the Glory features a number of different film clips and interviews and also several animated sequences done by Animator, Bob Flynn. He created several sequences for the film done with the help of those at Fablevision.

The program will air in New York on WNET, CHANNEL 13 today, Saturday, March 28, at 1:30pm.

You can see some of the animation here. It has a distinctive style and works well within the program. I particularly liked the sequence wherein Helena Rubenstein is robbed. The style is a bit reminiscent of James Thurber’s art.

Hans Bacher has the post of the week that excited me most. On his site, Animation Treasures, he’s taken some Background layouts for Bambi and has placed them alongside their finished Backgrounds. The comparison is amazing and deserves your attention.

How many times have we seen animation drawings compared to the finished cels? Here are some brilliant designs in execution. Hans also talks a bit about the painting of these stunning Backgrounds on glass.

By the way, if you don’t own Hans’ book Dream Worlds: Production Design for Animation, get out there an buy it or demand your local library carry it. The book is an essential for those interested in pursuing any career in animation. Or even those who have a strong interest in the medium.

- John Schnall sent a recent ad he did for Bzztrust, a business website. He asked that I post it, and it’s expectedly funny. So why not!

- Brian Sibley, on his very entertaining and informative site, has posted several excellent pieces about Alice in Wonderland. One includes a history of Snap, Crackle and Pop (there is a connection) that deserves your reading. (If anyone can identify the studio that did the British Alice commercial, please let me know.)

Brian posts a clip from a Jonathan Miller version of the story that I was not familiar with. The fact that Alan Bennett appears as the Mouse was enough for me to order the film.

- Darrell Van Citters has written a thoroughly researched book which tells the story behind the 1961 UPA film, Magoo’s Christmas Carol. He spent considerable time contacting all surviving cast and crewmembers of the production and also interviewed surviving family members of those who are deceased. He worked closely with the estates of the producer, director, writer and songwriters in assembling the material for this book. Information and photos were also gathered from several archives.

Darrell writes:

There are dozens of photos, including extremely rare shots from the song recording session. A great deal of art from the film illustrating all phases of production has been scanned or acquired for use in the book. There are over 230 pieces of art, including rare early concept sketches and at least two dozen background paintings, all of which were thought to be lost.

The story of the making of Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol will reveal
previously unknown information regarding the production as well as
dispel a number of myths currently circulating on the internet.

A labor of love, this book will be self-published by Darrell Van Citters who is a director at Renegade Animation.

According to Cartoon Brew, it will be on sale at the San Diego Comic Con, July 23-26. I won’t be there, but I’m looking forward to this book.

- I can remember waiting with great anticipation for that very first airing of this show. I had seen 1001 Arabian Nights with Mr. Magoo two years earlier and loved it. As a kid, I was more than a bit partial to high design in animation. I haven’t lost that thrill of beautifully designed artwork for the medium.

TV Guide had printed a fraction of a treasure that I studied endlessly; it was a bit of the storyboard for this film. I saved it to this day. (It’s in storage or I’d post some of it.)

The show won me over, and I’ve seen it dozens of times since. It’s still about my favorite holiday tv special. What’s not to like? Jule Styne and Robert Merrill were at the top of their game and had just come off the high of writing Funny Girl for Broadway. They brought equally fine, melodic songs to this show. Walter Scharf who orchestrated it, was a strong film musician. he’d worked on everything from Danny Kaye’s Hans Christian Andersen to Jerry Lewis’ Nutty Professor. He had scored or orchestrated many other films, even working on Mr. Bug Goes To Town as an orchestrator.

The animation was limited, but it was superb. Abe Levitow was at his height as a director and animator, and he
directed with snap and intelligence. Duane Crowther and Gerard Baldwin offered superb animation. To this day, I think the tight script stands as a lesson in how to adapt a story. It has to be one of the two best adaptations of the Dickens classic.

It’s a staple that should be aired every christmas.

For more on Abe Levitow and this film check out his site: here.

- Tatia Rosenthal‘s clay animated feature, $9.99, will make its NY debut as part of the Lincoln Center Festival: New Directors/New Films. Her film will be screened twice:

Sunday March 29th at 70pm at MOMA and
Wednesday April 1st at 9pm at the Walter Reade Theater in Lincoln Center.

Tickets can be bought on line or at the door for $10.

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A show of photographs by artist, Patti Smith opened last night at:

the Robert Miller Gallery
524 West 26th Street
(212) 366 4774

The show will run from March 19 through April 18th.
Like everything else from this extraordinary artist, the work is beautiful, poetic and well worth your interest. Go.
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- Speaking of wrenching, following the sad events leading to the death of Natasha Richardson was so sad.

Months ago Heidi and I happened to be sitting just behind her and Liam Neeson at a performance of Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Roundabout Theater. They made a couple of small quiet comments during the show. She rested her head on his shoulders several times. I’m sure they felt unwatched (as much as any celebrity in public can be) and were so obviously in love with each other.

The funeral home used for the wake is a block away from____They left at intermission,
my studio. It’s listed as “Greenwich Village Funeral Home,____though they undoubtedly
but they obviously use another name over their front door.___went backstage to see
___________________________________________________Ms. Linney. Throughout this entire week’s events, I was only able to think of the two of them as they were at that performance. She with head on his shoulder. Alive and human.

(Click any image to enlarge.)

There are those who are Irish, and those who
decorate their windows as if they were Irish.

A day to spend in the New York Tavern.

Thanks for the photos from Queens by Steve Fisher.

_________________

-Brendan and the Secret of the Kells seems to be the animated feature to watch in 2009. Over the weekend the film was the big winner at the Berlinale at this year’s Cartoon Movie in Lyon, winning best European director and best producer.

More than six hundred participants voted for the Cartoon Movie Tributes which recognise companies or personalities exercising a positive and dynamic influence on the European animation feature film industry. Irish animator Tomm Moore was named best European director of the year for his feature debut which had had its world premiere in the Berlinale’s Generation sidebar last month.

This film was directed in Ireland by Tomm Moore at his studio (partnered with Paul Young) the Cartoon Salon. His codirector was Nora Twommey. The film was produced in cooperation with the French company, Les Armateurs, the company that produced the wonderful The Triplettes of Belleville. The €6 million budget was raised from a number of European countries.

You can see a one-minute trailer on line here.

You can see three good clips here.
(Thanks to Koen De Koninck for the lead.)

Here are some reviews:
Variety
______Space is distorted so that everything looks deliberately flattened, yet there’s a very high level of craft deployed throughout to build up patterns within patterns. This may be the perfect film for children whose parents are art historians specializing in pre-Renaissance periods.
______That ‘s not to say others won’t enjoy it, but finding an aud is going to be a challenge for marketing departments. Despite the many participants from across Europe listed in the credits, the pic’s most fruitful territory is likely to be Ireland, and even there, competition with Hollywood fare will still be tough.

The Irish Times
______The story does have a neat arc and the voice-work is first rate, but the thinly drawn characters are sometimes upstaged by the bold images and by the fine, insistent music from Kíla and Bruno Coulais. Moreover, the desire to pack in so much research seems to have occasionally overpowered the need to create a clean narrative line.
______These are quibbles. The Secret of Kells remains a surprising piece of work that should appeal to smart children and open-minded adults. Chemically befuddled students may enjoy it even more.

Screen Daily News
______Director Tomm Moore and his team really excel themselves in these forest sequences, where Irish monasticism meets Busby Berkeley. At times, motifs from megalithic passage graves and Celtic jewellery float in the background like micro-organisms under a microscope, or fall in the form of snowflakes. Perspective is flattened out, and Brendan and Aisling are framed inside branches, just as Biblical characters were framed inside the opening letters of illuminated manuscript pages.

- Now on to Japan

- Studio Ghibli has teamed with Toyota to start a new animation training system for young people. Beginning April, 20 new employees will be sent to Aichi Prefecture in western Japan for a two-year course to learn animation techniques while being exposed to robotics and other Toyota technologies. Miyazaki and other veteran Ghibli animators will give lectures to the group.

The intent is to give students an appreciation for the traditional handcrafting skills still found at Toyota. This training, Ghibli producer and former president, Toshio Suzuki believes, will make them a better fit with the Studio Ghibli aesthetic.

It’s an unusal path, but the goal seems to be for the students to learn the hand-drawn art form in conjunction with the latest cg technology. I don’t think there’s anything comparable in the US.

- Chuck Jones: Memories of Chldhood is a film by Peggy Stern. John Canemaker also served as producer and director of animation.

In 1997, John brought Peggy Stern and Chuck Jones together for a series of interviews that became the basis of this film. Jones often sketched his boyhood self as he related his memories. These sketches later inspired the documentary’s animated sequences, which Canemaker directed.

Just prior to his death Jones saw a rough version of the film and was delighted. His family sunsequently provided Ms. stern with additional archival material. The end result is an intimate film about the early years of Chuck Jones’ life.

This film is going to air on Turner Classic Movies Tuesday, March 24th at 8 p.m, and it will be followed by three classic Jones shorts: Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening and What’s Opera Doc.

- An exhibit celebrating Manga and Anime is opening tomorrow, March 14th, at the Japan Society in New York. has

The films that will be shown include:
___ Katsuhiro Otomo’s classic, Akira (1988)
___ Masaaki Yuasa’s Mind Game (2004)
___ Satoshi Kon’s, Paprika (2006)
___ Patlabor 2: The Movie, by Mamoru Oshii _____ (1993)
___ The Place Promised in Our Early Days _____ (2004), by Makoto Shinkai
and
___ Super Dimension Fortress Macross:
_____ Episode 9, 17, 18, and 27 (1982-83),
_____ designed by Ichiro Itano.

Screenings will begin Saturday, March 14 and will continue until June 14, 2009.

The exact Anime screening schedule in the auditorium is here

A listing of Manga on display is here.

The NYTimes has a review of this show in today’s paper.

- After my several posts on Exposure sheets, I am planning to write a short piece on the scene folders used at the various studios. These, in a way, are works of art in their own right.

However, Paul Spector sent me something that I talked about quite a while back. When a short or a longform film is done, the amount of paperwork that’s prepared to keep things organized becomes immense. There’s an awful lot of bookkeeping.

All the scenes get numbered, all the sequences get numbered, all the drawings get numbered to correspond to the scene and sequence numbers.

With all those sequences and scenes, you start needing a chart to be able to tell one from the other. Disney’s “Drafts” are a precursor to these. This is what Paul’s sent from his father, Irv Spector‘s collection. It’s a flow chart for some scenes from a Pink Panther short done for DePatie-Freleng. The corresponding page of the script is posted below it.

It looks like they ran out of scene descriptions in the heat of the production and just concentrated on the numbering. John Hubley, I remember, as being the absolute best for scene descriptions. One or two words would completely capture the scene. In the Carousel feature, there were hundreds of scenes, yet you could always tell one from the other. The chart wasn’t done on 8½x11 or 14, but was done by hand on oaktag and pasted in the main I&P room. Using that one or two word caption, you could synthesize the scene you were searching for, and it made a lot more sense than searching for scene C129a or whatever.

(Click any image to enlarge.)

Thanks to Paul Spector for this great example of a flow chart.
__________________________

Tonight!

Don’t forget that Sita Sings the Blues is on ch 13 tonight
in the New York area at 10:45pm.

__________________________

- And now for something completely different.

The Animated World of Robert Breer
Sunday, March 15, 2009, 10:30 a.m.
At The Noguchi Museum

This free event for children between the ages of 2 and 12 and their families, features an hour-long program of short films by artist and filmmaker Robert Breer followed by art-making activities. Breer, who has been at the forefront of American avant-garde cinema since the 1960s, is a painter and sculptor who turned to animation to create a unique and amazing body of work. Introduced by David Schwartz, Moving Image Chief Curator, Breer’s playful and lively films will engage the entire family and provide a new point of entry from which to view and explore Isamu Noguchi’s work. Following the screening, Noguchi Museum educators will be present to facilitate activities and art-making projects. Families are encouraged to bring a snack and kick back while they enjoy the films. See below for a full list of titles.

Free admission, but reservations are required. To register, send an email to: smurphy@noguchi.org with your family’s name, the number of attendees and preferred form of contact (phone or email) or call 718.204.7088, extension 203.

The Noguchi Museum is located at Vernon Boulevard between 10th St and 33rd Rd in Long Island City. Sunday shuttle-bus service is available between Manhattan and the Museum.

The following films will be screened:

Homage To Jean Tinguely’s Homage To New York (1960, 9 mins.) This record of the birth and death of Tinguely’s famous auto-destructive sculpture at MoMA is itself a sculptural work, through its camera and editing techniques.

Fuji (1973, 8 mins.) Rotoscoped images of Mount Fuji, as seen from a train, are blended into the magical dreamscape of this lyrical voyage.

Swiss Army Knife With Rats and Pigeons (1981, 6 mins.) Images from everyday life are intercut with abstract and imaginary shapes in this virtuoso collage of drawings and live action photography.

Bang! (1986, 10 mins.) TV images of a boy paddling a boat, an arena crowd cheering, flowers, phones, and a wide array of personal doodle, photos, and assorted images whiz by in this mayhem-filled gem.

ATOZ (2000, 5 mins.) In this film dedicated to his daughter, Breer uses humor—along with a frog, planes, and other shapes—to look at the impact of the ordered alphabet on a child’s awakening mind.

Trial Balloons (1982, 5 mins.) One of Breer’s most lyrical films, Trial Balloons combines home movies with animation and hand-cut traveling mattes.

What Goes Up (2000, 4 mins.) The richness and the impermanence of life are captured in this rapid-fire animation of images capturing the joys of family and work life, and of food, drink, nature, and love.