The Animation Show Volume One

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the theatrical release, but still worth it
Review: As everyone has pointed out, this DVD's content differs from the original theatrical release. That in itself isn't really a problem except that 3 films left out of the DVD happen to be 3 of the best entries in the original lineup. I already own "Rejected" on DVD, but I was very disappointed by the absence of "Mars and Beyond" and "Vincent." (If you really, *really* want them, they can be found on "Walt Disney Treasures - Tomorrowland" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" respectively.)

Still, it's worth getting this DVD if only for Don Hertzfeldt's 3 new shorts + the old favorite "Billy's Balloon" (which was an unannounced surprise in the theatrical release and *is* included in the DVD). Mike Judge's oldies are gut-splittingly funny as well, especially the classic "Office Space." The others are mostly hit-or-miss though, and probably should belong to Spike & Mike's Classic/Sick & Twisted festivals instead.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful!
Review: I've just previewed an advance screener of this DVD and can say with no exaggeration that it's very easily the best animation compilation yet. Kudos to Judge and Hertzfeldt for stepping up and investing so much personal care and quality into this series - Their basic love of the form really comes through on this release.

Most of the animation festivals I've reviewed in the last 25 years would be lucky to feature just a handful of these films, let alone all of them. Funny, poignant, eye-popping, there's not a single bad apple in the lot.

The DVD also comes with about a dozen "extras" from almost all of the cartoonists involved - not just filler and fluff but substantial features, something else I've never seen done so well before on an animation collection.

While some of the short films may not be suitable for very young children ("50 Percent Grey" contains gunplay and "Aria" has a scene of dolls making love), there is nothing to be found here to cause concern beyond a PG-13 rating.

Very impressive and highly recommended. I can't wait for v.2

UPDATE: In reply to the reviewer asking about the omission of the short film, "Rejected", Mr Hertzfeldt has stated that it was left off this DVD in order to make room for the work of other artists. "Rejected" is readily available on DVD from the Bitter Films website.

It is also important to note that this collection indeed is slightly different than the theatrical collection, which I believe is the stated central point of the Animation Show: to continue to put the spotlight on new and exciting films and to convince people to go to the theater to see the truly rare stuff.

Case in point, the restored "Mars" film from the Animation Show theatrical program is owned by Disney which means you'll never see it on a non-Disney DVD.

Buy the Animation Show DVDs but be sure to check them out in your local theater too if you want to see the very best of this program!

Rating:
Summary: Remarkable. A must own.
Review: Simply put: the Animation Show has something for nearly everyone.

It has the insane, twisted and often incoherent humor of Don Hertzfeldt in his 1998 work Billy's Balloon along with three shorter pieces written explictly for the animation show. Add to that three Corky Quackenbush Ricardo shorts and some wacked out Mike Judge experiments including the original Office Space short and you have enough to satisfy those who love sick animation.

It has incredible works of artistic mastery. Moving Illustrations of Machines is an incredible hand-drawn labor of love made by one man over the course of four years (to the earlier reviewer who did not think that it told a story, I reccomend doing some research on the piece). It has La Course A L'Abime which melds art, animation and music into a perfect crescendo in the final scene. It has Katedra, which is a CG masterpiece, but unfortunately looks poorly compressed on this DVD (the only film to disappoint technically).

It has great stories. Brother/Cousin/Uncle weaves interesting and detailed character sketches in mere minutes. Das Rad is a wonderful little piece that will make you smile.

When you tell people that they should watch the Animation Show, they instantly think that they are being told to watch silly Warner Bros. style cartoons (they will be when Parking comes on), but what you will really be suggesting is taking a trip into a world where an amazing form of storytelling can get some fresh air - the world of the short film.

Buy the DVD. It is the purchase of the year (and a bargain at twice the price) and you will help to support this independent film scene continue to produce works of art that make us laugh, make us think and make us enjoy life.