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The short films in this collection juxtapose an impressive technical sophistication with simple, derivative ideas, many of them borrowed from old Warner Bros. shorts. But the jokes are badly timed, and the animation lacks the feeling of weight and the sense of character that made these gags work. "The Physics of Cartoons, Part 1" attempts to evoke old cartoons, but the timing is so leaden, the designs so unappealing, and the animation so lifeless, it falls flat. "Pets" is a shameless rip-off of Nick Park's "Creature Comforts." Various domestic animals describe their lives, but the voices and animation are devoid of the charm that won Park his first Oscar. "Carved Journey" and "H20" are technical exercises, with no narrative or point of view. A few films rise above the mediocrity. In "Ticked Off," a pair of wart hogs debate joining Noah's voyage, a situation that recalls Gary Larson's "The Far Side." The idea of illustrating the old hand game is a clever one, but "rockpaperscissors" goes on far too long. "Bingo," a very elaborate, obviously costly effort at Absurdist theatre, takes just short of forever to go nowhere. --Charles Solomon
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