I went to the IFC Center this weekend to see all the Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts. Here’s my thoughts on each of them.

- I Met The Walrus: A 14 year old kid somehow manages to get a taped interview with John Lennon. This is a real interview, with wild animation that supplements and riffs on the words the participants are saying. The closest comparison (which is still quite distant) is Richard Linklater’s Waking Life. Lennon evangelizes peace and the animations are tiny digressions triggered by various words and phrases Lennon says. The use of color is terrificly restrained… strictly black and white, yet occasionally we get a beautiful blast of bright pink streaking across the screen: it’s a great contrast. This short was the most entertaining, and the audience responded really enthusiastically.

- Madame Tutli-Putli: If David Lynch had the opportunity to play Pixar director for a day, this short could easily be the outcome. A woman drags all her worldly belonging onto a train, and has a bunch of terrifying experiences. This short had the most engrossing mood: it transported you into the frightening world it created. There isn’t much of a plot to follow; you kind of have to let it wash over you. If I had to guess what a bad acid trip was like, this would be my closest basis for comparison.

- Meme Les Pigeons Vont Au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go To Heaven): It was a cute story about a elderly gentleman that is tricked into buying a machine which will transport him to heaven. It would have worked well as a short story, and was only enhanced by the animation. This short had the best characters. Every bit of gesture, posture, and movement is very well thought out with great attention to detail. Put a smile on my face :)

- My Love (Moya Lyubov): The animation was a series of very brushy paintings; thus, I’m sure it was incredibly time consuming to create. It’s a classic “boy coming of age” in which a young teen idealizes the women in his life and becomes classically paralyzed by the choice between them. The style of animation fit with the subject matter quite well because both the boy and the audience are looking upon these woman through the rose colored lens of paintings. The story in My Love was a bit disjointed and thus the whole thing dragged by the end.

- Peter & The Wolf: A silent film adaptation of the classic score by the same name. It’s pretty true to the original tale. I couldn’t stop staring at Peter’s light blue eyes. They were giant (a visual cue indicating youth) and like some kind of blue rarely seen on celluloid. Very well executed, but less original and inventive than the rest of the shorts.

When they open the golden envelope tonight, I hope I Met the Walrus wins. Give peace a chance. Here’s an embed of the I Met the Walrus trailer below: