February
28, 2005
Chris
Landreth won this year's Oscar for Best Animated Short for his wonderfully
thoughtful and sad Ryan. This computer-animated film pays tribute
to Ryan Larkin, a famed Canadian animator who burst on the scene
in the late 1960's and influenced a whole generation of animators.
Larkin's animated shorts revealed a sharp creative mind with the
soul of a poet, and his future was assured with an Academy Awards
nomination in 1969. Tragically, however, he became ensnared in drug
and alcohol addiction, which not only ended his career but destroyed
his life. Today, Ryan Larkin is an alcoholic who begs on the street
to survive.
Landreth's
documentary approach, including conversations with Larkin and clips
from his films, is heartbreaking. To watch this gifted, soulful
artist completely abandon his former life and quietly beg - "Spare
any change, sir?" "Thank you sir" - is almost unbearably
sad. I'm reminded, of course, of Isao Takahata's great pathos, but
this is a living human being behind the animation.
Landreth
draws people as a mix of surrealism and x-ray photography. Faces
and bodies are withered and decayed, reflecting their inner turmoil.
Ryan Larken's face is barely visable, almost completely eaten away;
it's a magnificent metaphor for the damage this man has done to
himself. Then Landreth points the mirror at himself, suggesting
his fears that his inner turmoils would one day lead to the same
fate.
Computer
animation is typically created with modeling software and involve
live actors for either video footage or motion-capture. Yet everything
we see was crafted by hand. Faces have such a photorealistic quality
that you will swear you are watching the actual person onscreen.
It's amazing to watch.
The
upcoming DVD release of Ryan will also include several of Landreth's
other works as well as Larkin's classic shorts, as well as documentaries
and audio commentary. Start saving your money now; this promises
to be one of the year's essential releases.
The
National Film Board of Canada was kind enough to offer this film
on their website for free during Oscar Week, and I'm very grateful
to them. Domo arigatou gozaimasu. |
