Los Angeles Animated Film Festival - REVIEW

 Los Angeles Animated Film Festival

   The esteemed 20-year-old festival is hosted in West Hollywood at Let Live Theatre with multiple nights of short film screenings in different categories.  SharksEatMeat had the opportunity to attend several nights of the animation portion of the festival.  The November 15, 2022 showing featured 10 short animations of diverse styles and mediums, ranging from natural 2D pencil work, pixel art, 3D CGI and experimental painted animations.

Above the Deluge

https://www.allysonglenn.com/

   “Above the Deluge” by Allyson Glenn is a short hand drawn animation of underwater creatures set to jazz music.  The music accompanied the visuals perfectly, and the gestural and playful line work gave great life to the otters, dolphins and fish that danced on screen.  

Chupacabra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWWNlJ2a4jA&t=17s

   “Chupacabra” by director and composer Ivan Flores and lead animator John Coulter is a retro gaming style music video about the mythical monster El Chupacabra.  Set in a tropical RPG style world, the band Discos Resaca joins El Chupacabra for a magical song.

Red String

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQh_RnUoTg0

   The “Red String” by Project Mooler is a heart-warming story about a lonely man looking for love and friendship in a temple, where he finds a cat who helps him on his journey.  The dreamlike world boasts busy urban streets and expressive characters.  The playful movements of the cat are delightful and skillfully animated.

Trojan Horace



https://vimeo.com/719507735

   “Trojan Horace” by Scott Graham is a colorful Hanna-Barbera style 2D cartoon about the comedic failures of a Trojan citizen and his wooden horse.  

The Abandoned Block



https://vimeo.com/445783302

   “The Abandoned Block” is a lovely short animation by James Bourne that follows the true journey of an imperfect block of marble that eventually winds up in the masterful hands of sculptor Michelangelo.  The story is moving, and its designs are delicate and well-textured.

Crusoe



https://www.shaneacker.com/projects/nYGrqE

   With AAA talent, Academy Award nominee Shane Acker brings a big adventure to the screen with his animated short “Crusoe.”  A gorgeous retelling of the classic Robinson Crusoe, now stranded in space.  The action packed short boasts fast paced story telling and superb graphics.  The heroes, alien sea creatures, and landscapes are vibrant, well designed, and smoothly animated.  This exciting story would make an excellent series.  

Space Paradox



https://www.purpleduck.co.kr/index/view/3281839

   This hard science story by Purple Duck follows an astronaut with PTSD after a realistic disaster onboard a rocket mission.  The animation is beautiful and the story reminiscent of an Arthur C. Clarke short story.


Ethan Art Venture



https://ethanartventure.com/

   “Ethan Art Venture” skillfully combines 2D animation with live action footage, a la Roger Rabbit.  The story follows an autistic boy in Brooklyn with amazing artistic skill and imagination.  He faces everyday schoolboy challenges that help him grow using his unique skills.  The fun short film is written and directed by Nuria Dixon.  


Hey Toby Hey Owen: This is Not Sponsored By Valvoline



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh-AP6hl4JQ

   Owen Dennis’s short is animated in a minimalist style akin to South Park or popular Adult Swim shows. The visuals are paired with audio of an unedited stream of consciousness conversation between friends throughout an average day driving around Los Angeles.  

There Is No ‘I’ in Island



https://rummin.com/there-is-no-i-in-island/

   “There Is No ‘I’ in Island” is a five part experimental animation from Tasmania, which used surreal visuals to tell the personal true stories of those effected by the recent pandemic.  The voices and perspectives of real interviews with locals were animated onto talking flowers and angelic beings made of veins.  The traditionally-painted backgrounds used beautiful color schemes and complimented the animated creatures.  The alienness of the visuals strangely humanizes the stories being told, allowing the viewer to reflect on the speaker’s message.  

   The LA Film Festival continues through the end of November and has many more films and categories.  Check out these independent animators by visiting their websites, and as always, stay tuned to SharksEatMeat for all your art and culture news.