BAFTA ANIMATED SHORTS - 3
I Am Tom Moody by Ainslee Henderson (2012) (UK) (7m)
Written and directed by Scottish animator Ainslee Henderson, I Am Tom Moody was nominated for a BAFTA in 2014. Voiced by Mackenzie Crook (The Office), I Am Tom Moody is a stop motion animation telling the story of a timid musician about to give his first public performance since he tried and failed as a child. His inner child is telling him it will be a failure, but he is determined that he could be as big as David Bowie. So he decides he must talk to his inner child to allay his fears. But will the song be any good?
The Making of Longbird by Will Anderson (2011) (UK) (15m)
The Making of Longbird by Will Anderson starts off like an earnest (and pretentious) film about a forgotten Russian animator. But it is of course a total fake and this short mocumentary, a mix of live action and animation, is more like a Don Hertzfeldt animation - or even Morph. It is subtle and cleverly done. Writing credits include Ainslie Henderson and Vitalij Sicinava, who is great as Longbird.
A Morning Stroll by Grant Orchard (2011) (UK) (7m) *
A Morning Stroll claims to be based on a true story, as unlikely as that seems! Nominated for an Academy Award as well as winning a BAFTA, it is a clever and enjoyable romp through the decades and different styles of animation starting off in the 1950s. It seems there has been a chicken living and going about his business in New York for many years. Orchard mainly works on television spots, which is perhaps why he can turn his hand to various styles.
The Eagleman Stag by Michael Please (2011) (USA) (9m)
Although Michael Please is American, this BAFTA winning all white stop motion animation feels British because it is voiced by veteran British actor David Cann. It is a mind-bending and strangely dark comedy about a man's obsession with time and death and the extreme lengths he goes to in order to counter them. He appears to have the answer in a beetle he finds but fails to share his discovery and whether he finally succeeds or not is open to interpretation.
