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LACKADAISY (Pilot)

LACKADAISY is a 2D animated film pilot based on the 2006 comic series by Tracey J. Butler, directed by Fable Siegle, and produced by Iron Circus Animation. Released only 2 months ago as of June 15th 2023, LACKADAISY is a labor of love animated by over 160 artists around the world! The pilot introduces us to St. Louis Missouri in the year 1927, prohibition is in full effect and the impending doom of their beloved bar looms over the characters heads. Those characters including Rocky, Freckle and Ivy, three cats trying their hardest to smuggle alcohol into the city despite the challenges they face.

My Thoughts:

!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

What else can I say other than this film was phenomenal! I was incredibly impressed by how smooth the animation is and I love, love, loved the character designs! All of them were unique and had their own sort of spunk and interest while keeping a cohesive look. Let's take a moment to appreciate the artwork for this show shall we?

This image here is an excellent example of creative character design within a certain art style! Shape language, body language, facial expression, and color are all used in subtle ways to express the character's personality!

An important detail to remember is that LACKADAISY was originally a comic, so some things had to be changed to translate it from comic to film.

The original comics primarily used warm, detailed pictures that focused more on shading and texture rather than color. The artwork has a similar warm, almost brown tone that some film photographs from the area take on. Whether that is on purpose I have no idea, it was just something I noticed. These images are from the comics, just to give you a better idea of what I mean.

Even when color is added that detailed artwork and focus on shading remains. Giving the viewer stunning scenes to look at, like these.

Gorgeous right?

But one thing you notice right off the bat is that with the animated pilot, the detail and the emphasis on shading have decreased significantly. But that is to be expected with an animated show, as those things are well... hard to animate. However, what is lacking in detail and shading is made up for in color! The animated pilot is packed full of color and light, which I really enjoy.

Personally, I believe they did a really good job adapting a comic into an animated pilot, if you have anything to add or any animations you want me to look over let me know in the suggestion box! Anyways! be sure to send the people behind this amazing pilot (and comic) some love and support! signing off for now,

-N.Ink

[animationstation66]

GO FISHBOY

GO FISHBOY is a 2D animated short film by directors Denise Cirone, Sebastian Doringer, Andrey Kolesov, Chiayu Liu, Zhen Tian, and Lan Zhou, for their 2022 final project at Globelins School in Paris.

Taking place in Japan, the film follows a respected sushi-maker Takeshi Asami and his son Uotaro as they go about their daily lives. As Takeshi tries to connect with his son through their family business of sushi making things become tense as Takeshi begins to notice a strange change in his silent son's behavior.

My Thoughts:

!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

I really like this film! It takes you through an interesting series of events that start out as slightly odd and slowly morph into something more complex. The obvious theming behind GO FISHBOY is family, personal identity and acceptance. With Uotaro clearly coming to terms with his own identity (as a fish) and leaving Takeshi to process what exactly that means for him and his son. At first he is in denial about the fishy behavior and wants to ignore the signs. Continually dragging Uotaro away from the fish stalls, distracting him when he is more interested in the fish than making sushi, choosing to ignore how his son flopped around almost naked in the rain, and deflecting the idea when his son straight up tells him he wants to be a fish are all examples of this. But after Uotaro's confession there is a clear shift in Takeshi (he hesitates when cutting up a tuna fish to serve); though that denial is not completely gone as he rips the fish charm off his cars rearview mirror before going to the fish market with Uotaro.

The fish market is a big scene and acts as our films climax. At some point Takeshi loses Uotaro in the crowd, and unlike the first time we saw this happen the sushi-maker grows panicked almost immediately. We can assume that Takeshi is aware of what is about to happen next, as Uotaro's behavior has been steadily escalating up until this point. He runs throughout the fish market shouting his son's name, this scene showing the most movement in the entire film. When he sees his son on the dock he runs towards him crying and telling him to stop, shouting his name. Uotaro doesn't listen and takes the plunge, diving in against his fathers instructions. But at this point we know he wouldn't have anyways. The viewer is then greeted by this beautiful underwater sequence, and despite Takeshi exclaiming earlier that Uotaro cant swim, he does so anyways. becoming a fish swimming among many others. The sushi-maker makes it to the dock, now too late, and cries. But there's that air of acceptance given at the end, when we see him smile through his tears. A heartwarming ending to a beautiful film.

I think a lot of people will relate to this film because of the themes it portrays. Not to mention the animation style is simple, smooth and unique all the same, with the wavy lines being something I've never seen before! The colour palette is perfect for the tone of the film and perfectly captures the mood of every moment! Just take a look at this artwork!!!

It is honestly gorgeous and I'm obsessed!

Anyways, be sure to show the team behind this film some love and support! Signing off for now,

-N.Ink

[animationstation66]

Fishboy

Fishboy is a stop-motion film directed by Anita Bruvere for her final project at the National Film and Television school (NFTS). Released in 2018 the film stars Hugh Skinner as Fishboy and Emily Taaffe as his loving girlfriend Laura. The film follows a fish-headed man attempting to navigate his romantic relationship while also struggling under the loss of a loved one.

My Thoughts:

!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Fishboy focuses heavily on the subject of guilt and how it can affect the individual as well as the people around them who care. It is implied that an accident in childhood involving our main character leads to the death of a loved one, this causes an immense amount of guilt to manifest inside him. But the surrealist and metaphorical style of the film allows for viewers to interpret and relate to the characters struggles in a number of ways. As Bruvere says,

“I’m interested in connecting the personal to the universal and in telling stories that use unconventional narratives to create a strong sensation or feeling for the viewer”

And she does a fantastic job of doing this. The film itself is beautiful. With stunning visuals created using fabric, wire puppets, painted glass and paper, Bruvere and her team create a story dripping with atmosphere and detail.

I find it especially interesting how the two characters Fishboy and Laura are represented. Fishboy is often seen surrounded by a moody, murky color palette heavy in greys, blues and occasionally purples. When the camera pans to him the backgrounds are often greyer and sucked of most warm light.

But Laura on the other hand is soft and bright, with yellows, creams and whites. Paper is a media we often see associated with her, the forest scene being the biggest example I can think of. An interesting thing to note is how paper is easily destroyed by water, something Fishboy is directly associated with. She is also often lit up with a warm sunlight, the scene where she and Fishboy are together have them bask in it together. I think this is a visual representation of Laura's positive influence in his life, giving him brief moments of happiness and comfort amongst grief.

(Apologies for the poor photo quality, photos of Laura are few and far between.)

Overall I think this film was absolutely gorgeous and deserves all the praise it receives! Please show Anita Bruvere and her team some support and love by watching this amazing short film! Signing out for now,

-N.Ink

(P.S- have some adorable pictures of the puppets outside of filming! All are from the Fish Boy account on Facebook!)