Search - The Animation Show Volume One on DVD

Not as good as the theatrical release, but still worth it

Hansol Lee | 05/20/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."

A review ... in the 3rd Dimension

Benjamin K. Potter | Memphis, TN | 12/21/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This collection is just too cool for words. If you are an adult who is still drawn to the quirky offerings of Adult Swim on Comedy Central, this collection might just be for you. It's got the same quirky, non-mainstream feel. Don Hertzfeldt's simply drawn stick figure cartoons, for example, bring out the best in absurd humor. Cuts like "Billy's Balloon" and "Intermission in the 3rd Dimension" literally had me laughing until I cried.

As a whole, the DVD is a bit uneven. "Cathedral," in particular, didn't seem to fit quite right. I'd say the split is about 75 percent humor and 25 percent drama. If you are a fan of "adult" animation, I would definitely add this collection to your wish list. If you are more of a passing fan, I'd try and find it at a movie rental place first. Good luck, it might be pretty hard to find."

Something for every taste (includes tasteless)

Paul Fannon | STL, MO USA | 04/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stunning outworldly landscapes, freakish clay people, and insane bad acid trips. Yep, you'll get everything you can think of and more. ;)
This film is an arrangement of several international animation shorts, and you're bound to find at least one you like. Being international, it does mean some of these films are foreign, and you'll have to squint to read the subtitles in "Mt. Head." (You'd think after that Goldmemeber parody the guys who make those subtitles would get the idea) Some films have no dialouge, so that's easier on the eyes.
The emotional qualities of these films range wildly from overwhelming awe (the Cathedral) to extremely bitter humor (Billy's Ballon), and if you want your kids to grow up emotionally disturbed and confused, this is your film. (of course, I saw "Heavy Metal" at age 5 and I didn't remember it because I had no idea what was going on and still don't)
Some of these films are family-quality entertainment, like Tim Burton's "Vincent", very similar to "Nightmare Before Christmas". Then there's Don Hertzfeldt's Intro, Intermission, and Ending that will make anyone over 13 laugh uncontrollably and make anyone under 13 disillusioned. It's possible it could be the other way around, though.
You might be thinking "Oh, it's animation, it'll be like Disney," and you are absolutely wrong. There are styles of animation in here I've never seen before, in mediums I'm not sure I'll ever see again. They go from impossibly professional to laughably amaturish. Also, maybe you're thinking "If it's like Disney, then it's good for kids." Again, false; some of this is great material for children, some of it is definitely not. Watch this movie yourself first, then watch it with your kids to filter out what they don't need to watch. I don't like censoring children myself, but anything like "Rejected" has stuff that most kids won't be able to understand.
If you're just looking for high-quality entertainment, this is designed to satisify. You'll most likely see things that you've never seen before, and maybe never will. This is a million miles away from the mainstream, and hopefully "Animation Show: Volume 2" will have even more faraway tales done with moving pictures that no one at Toon Disney can even comprehend.UPDATE (5/10/04): Turns out the DVD version is different from the theatre version. A few films were taken out from the theatre version and some new ones added for the DVD version. The new ones are suprisingly tender (the Adom Elliot trilogy), some were... well, lame (like Illustrastions of Moving Machines or something similar to that title. It should be a standard rule that the films should try to tell some kind of story, but oh well, that's just me). I'm dissapointed that some films like "Rejected" and "Vincent" were left out of the final cut, they were my favorite films and I can't find them anywhere else! They better be on Volume Two!Although I still like the final product (Mike, Don, next year, throw in a few interviews, I don't care if they're foreign), if you expected the theatre version on DVD, it's not the exact same product. A word of warning."

A great collection

Andy Modrovich | Austin, TX | 06/19/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Listen, I buy a lot of collections of animation on DVD. This is one of the better ones. I'm not saying it's perfect, but Amazon's review is way too dismissive. So many collections make you wade through a bunch of second-class shorts to see just a couple gems; the ratio here is exactly the other way around.

Hertzfeldt's shorts are top-notch, but you expected that. What you may not have expected is that so many of the other shorts are also excellent. Adam Elliot's Brother, Cousin, Uncle trilogy is fascinating and very affecting; I don't understand the Amazon reviewer's claim that it is "mean-spirited". It is nothing of the kind, although it is often sad and disquieting. Alex Budovsky's Bathtime in Clerkenwell is fantastic work and deserves special mention. Jeremy Solterbeck's Moving Illustrations of Machines did not interest me overmuch until I found out that it consists entirely of hand-drawn ink artwork, and then I was astounded at the creator's attention to detail and incredibly skilled technical ability. In fact, almost all of the shorts are either pretty, technically well-done, emotionally moving, or at least funny, and very often a combination of the above.

I do have to single out one short for negative comment, however. Corky Quakenbush's The Adventures of Ricardo is out of place on this collection. It is not funny, well voiced, or well animated. It's simply bad, and it brings down an otherwise very enjoyable collection of shorts. The main problem is that when the creator of the short voices the supposedly 4-year-old Ricardo, he sounds much closer to a parody of a mentally handicapped person than an actual four-year-old. Quakenbush has a somewhat uncomfortable commentary track in which he wonders why some people have a bad reaction to Ricardo. I'm amazed that no one took him aside and gave him a heads-up. Regardless, there are other problems with the short, and it can be safely skipped.

Overall, though, the collection is significantly better than many of the other animation anthologies available. I recommend it."