Introduction
The animated selection at the Tribeca Festival 2023, this year, is curated by the returning Whoopi Goldberg. It’s gratifying to consider how ‘animated shorts’ were arguably brought to the fore by Pixar Animation Studios. Their mini-masterpieces, including For The Birds (2000), Piper (2016), and Bao (2018) all went on to Oscar Glory. This was after being screened ahead of their box office behemoth counterparts, Monsters Inc. (2001), Finding Dory (2016), and Incredibles 2 (2018), respectively. The studio, after being purchased by Steve Jobs from George Lucas, announced itself on the Animated World’s stage with Luxo Jr. back in 1986.
“Short films transport audiences to new worlds, document alternative lives, challenge perceptions, and broaden minds – sometimes in a matter of minutes.”
–Dylan Cave, British Film Institute National Archive Curator
The Lucas link continues as it has been well documented that many of today’s A-list directors found their feet in filmmaking with live-action short films. Martin Scorcese, The Scott Brothers, Christopher Nolan, and Martin McDonagh are only a few. We can also add Tim Burton with Vincent (1982) and John Lasseter (long before his workplace ‘missteps’) with the aforementioned film about the cute little lamp to the list. They also began their groundbreaking careers with shorts of the animated variety.
An example of how mainstream audiences can indulge in short animated treats is STAR WARS: Visions found on Disney+ (last George Lucas reference, we promise). This is an anthology of animated shorts from around the world that celebrates the mythos of Star Wars through unique cultural lenses.
All films are set in a galaxy far, far away. However, they also display what is so magical about animated short films. Love. Care. Attention to detail. Storytelling. Laughter and tears. Disparate forms of artistry, empathy, arcs, and cliffhangers. All are condensed into a rich, satisfying, and cinematic experience that is perhaps only five minutes long.
One of the joys and privileges of access to a film festival, such as Tribeca, is exploring the upcoming talent of tomorrow and savoring the beautiful moving pictures they offer. Here are some of the highlights of the animated short films previewed to date.
American Sikh (2023)
Written and directed by Ryan Westra, and co-directed by Vishavjit Singh.
The animated true story of a turban-wearing American Sikh, who, after a lifetime of facing hate, self-doubt, and violence, finally finds acceptance in a superhero costume.
This documentary tells the story of Vishavjit Singh’s journey as a turban-wearing Sikh living in America. Although born in the US, Singh grew up in India. it is there where he tragically witnessed anti-Sikh genocide. The audience does not blame him for wanting to return to the West. However, when he does return to what is technically his homeland, he is treated as an outsider.
The world then experiences September 11, and Vishavjit again witnesses anti-Sikh violence. Vishavjit decides to respond in a unique way. He dresses up as Captain America! To his own surprise, he is now embraced by the wider community, and accepted by strangers.
Animating Vishavjit’s incredible journey is ideal as it creates the nostalgic feeling of 1980s Saturday morning cartoons. This is done via the cliche of ‘comic-book come to life,’ with this being Vishavjit’s unique superhero origin story. The animation flows, from light playful tones (as Vishavjit recounts his excitement about diving back into Western culture) to the darkness of xenophobia, paranoia, and violence. It then comes back to a genuinely uplifting finale as Vishavjit sees his new role as a friendly, neighborhood Sikh, offering hope to others in the darkest of times.
From the first frame to the last, American Sikh is honest and sincere. In addition, most of the gentle humor and stark violence are found in the animation. This is a moment in time long before the Cinematic Age of the Comic book Movie began. People still needed superheroes taken from anywhere they could find them.
The Night Doctrine (2023)
Directed by Almudena Toral and Mauricio Rodriguez Pons
Continuing the theme of outsiders being the subject of prejudice, this documentary comes from an Afghan journalist, Lynzy Billing, embarking on a journey to find out who murdered her family 30 years ago, only to uncover hundreds of civilians killed in a secretive American-backed program.
This is another personal story, where the animation does not reduce the impact of the atrocities on screen. The animation is truly beautiful. It flows from one story point to another. As opposed to scene to scene. The result is the film is given a dreamlike quality, or nightmarish when we consider the subject matter – Afghan civilians’ homes being invaded and executions being summarily carried out by soldiers.
We are guided, by Billing, through the design and instigation of these ‘night raids’ by US Special Ops soldiers in Afghanistan, as well as through her personal connections to the story.
Corvine (2023)
Directed by Sean McCarron
The audience needs a little lightness and levity after the previous screenings. We get just that, in part, with Corvine, about an eccentric little boy obsessed with crows, whose playful joy may lead to him being viewed as an outsider. This is a wordless portrayal of a child expressing himself as he follows and behaves like a crow. He caw-caws around his garden, much to the amusement and adoration of his parents and kindly neighbors. The animation is cartoonish and fun and the audience is lulled into a false sense of security as we believe we are going to spend a small window of time with little Kevin as he swoops and soars around his imagination.
Then their mother arrives with his school uniform, and the school bus arrives for him. The color palette and score suddenly change as Kevin is forced by his teachers, and classmates, to clip his wings. The audience genuinely empathizes with this little boy, who has not tried to resist the grey drudgery of the real world, when all you really want to do, is fly.
With this being dialogue-free (apart from Kevin’s expressive ‘Caw-Caws’), director McCarron puts a lot of pressure on composer’s Suad Bushnaq shoulders, who is more than up to the task. The soundtrack soars when it needs to, capturing the joy, wonder, relief, fear, and bemusement as and when needed, and fully compliments a closing scene that will make the room dusty for many parents who worry their child may not be accepted.
Witchfairy (2023)
Directed by Cedric Igodt and David Van de Weyer
A young fairy, Rosemary finds life as a fairy too dull, so instead seeks to become a witch!
Rosemary and her fellow fairies are computer-generated creations with the choice of each character being animated as weather-worn dolls, complete with smudged make-up and ragged edges, giving the tale an almost macabre/Hans Christian Andersen-feel, as the fairies look like they live in a pink cotton candy cloud.
Rosemary feels she herself is the outsider and wants to hang out with the ‘cool kids’ i.e. the witches. Therefore both teenagers and parents will be able to relate to this particular story.
The story itself, as described by the filmmakers themselves, is about love between mother and daughter and contains mainly relatable themes including teenage rebellion, diversity, inclusion, and female empowerment told within a bedtime story.
Starling (2023)
Directed by Mitra Shahidi
The bittersweet story of the spirit of a mischievous little girl who shoots down from the heavens to spend her birthday with her family.
Starling, produced through Pixar’s co-op program allowing employees to utilize studio equipment in their free time, is moving and emotionally poignant. We meet a couple preparing a celebration in their home, with the audience’s attention drawn to a small empty chair. Meanwhile, the night skies suddenly shine a little brighter as a little ‘starling’ zooms down and less-than-sticks the landing on Earth.
We then get a dialogue-free exploration of grief, one moment somber the next fun as the audience follows the little starling waddle around its once familiar home. The film concludes with another dusty-room-inducing moment that stays with the audience longer than the 10-minute running time.
