2009. USA. Dir: Wes Anderson. With George Clooney, Meryl Streep. Animated. 88 min.
Bored with subterranean home life and yearning for his wild criminal past, Clooney’s titular canid plans one last big chicken heist that upends his whole community. The bespoke stop-motion world feels (quite literally) made for Anderson’s stylistic quirks – as reconfirmed by the recently released Isle of Dogs.
Tonight / 8 p.m. / Goldsmith Family Cinema / $5
A little joy, a little sadness, a little cute- ness, a little melancholy…and a whole lot of dazzling art. Enormous studios and fledgling animators alike push for- ward the boundaries of motion pictures one passion project at a time. We’re pleased to once again o er a chance for this vital work to live on the big screen, in all its lavish detail.
Tonight / 8 p.m. / Goldsmith Family Cinema / $5
2016. USA. Dir: Travis Knight. With Charlize Theron. Animated. 102 min.
A young storyteller who can animate origami with a strum of his samishen leaves home when witches come to steal his eyeball for the Moon King. He embarks on a journey infused with folklore, fantasy, and surprisingly affecting musings on art and death – courtesy of singular stop-motion studio Laika (Coraline).
Tonight / 8 p.m. / Goldsmith Family Cinema / $5
Sarah Chrystler ’13 writes in:
Come to the best film series night of the year – senior theses! There are two programs this year: 16mm and Digital films on Friday, May 8th at 8:00 pm and Sunday, May 10th at 2:00 pm; and Digital and Animation films on Saturday, May 9th and Sunday, May 10th, both at 8:00 pm.
Tickets will cost $5 and go quickly – make sure to get there early to save a seat! Tickets will go on sale 45 minutes before each show.
Dates and times:
16mm and Digital films: Friday, May 8th at 8:00pm; and Sunday, May 10th at 2:00pm
Digital and Animation films: Saturday, May 9th at 8:00pm; and Sunday, May 10th at 8:00pm
Place: Goldsmith Family Cinema, Center for Film Studies
Cost: $5
2001. Japan. Dir: Hayao Miyazaki. Animated. 125 min.
When her family takes a fateful detour en route to their new home, a moody ten-year-old becomes trapped in a spirit world inhabited by witches, gods, and monsters – to whom she must tend at the local bathhouse while she tries to divine an escape. Miyazaki crafts a hand-drawn dream steeped in awe and whimsy, fear and beauty.
Tonight / 8 p.m. / Goldsmith Family Cinema / $5
Almost a year since he wowed audiences with his mind-bending hit “Homonucleus with Milk“, the deft, stop-motion hand of Raphael Linden ’15 has struck again with yet another short video that is as beautiful as it is terrifying. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll see serveral close-ups of Linden’s open orifices.
We at Wesleying have been honored to watch Linden’s evolution as an aspiring animator. One thing’s for sure the kid’s come a long way since his upbeat, 2012 masterpiece “Threshold Dances“.
Oh and just a heads up – this one is decidedly strobey so epileptics be warned. Enjoy!
Ben Smith ’13 is taking a break from his lucrative career at Buzzfeed to animate a thesis film:
Seeking background artwork for Wesleyan’s one and only animated Senior Film Thesis! Ben Smith ’13 is looking for background artists to help bring this animated thesis to life. This dark comedy is not your Saturday morning cartoon. Set in a sleepy town in Oregon, Pearly Whites details the events that occur in the life of a dentist whose newest patient has become addicted to Nitrous oxide (laughing gas). The film deals with themes of depression, parenting, and teeth. Lots and lots of teeth. The animation is already in full production but is in serious need of a team of background artists.
No prior experience with digital animation necessary, although if interested in contributing to the motion animation itself, please state so in your email.
Contact: basmith@wes
Deadline: Soon
Famed conjurer of inanimate objects Raphael Linden ’15 at it again, this time with more fruit. Building on his motif of auto-locomotive blades, Linden’s latest short, “Homonuculus with Milk,” is his greatest achievement in stop motion since his 2012 tour de force “Threshold Dances.”
A psychedelic journey through the fruit basket of the mind, Linden’s new film will smash your paradigms into a citrus puree. Seriously: watching a dragonfruit peel itself and then turn around to digest its own mashed up insides is a sight to behold. I’m calling it now, this kid is going straight to the top.
Pearly Whites, the crazy animated thesis film about a dentistry and madness, is now seeking a few good artists. More from Ben Smith ’13:
Seeking background artwork for Wesleyan’s one and only animated Senior Film Thesis! Ben Smith ’13 is looking for background artists to help bring this animated thesis to life. This dark comedy is not your Saturday morning cartoon. Set in a sleepy town in Oregon, Pearly Whites details the events that occur in the life of a dentist whose newest patient has become addicted to Nitrous oxide (laughing gas). The film deals with themes of depression, parenting, and teeth. Lots and lots of teeth.
Be prepared to show a portfolio (landscapes and still-life pieces preferred).
No prior experience with digital animation necessary, although if interested in contributing to the motion animation itself, please state so in your email.
Contact: basmith@wes
Deadline: soon.
Ben Smith ’13 is making an animated thesis film, which will feature “lots and lots of teeth.” He’s looking for voice actors—not necessarily “cartoony” voices or impressions, just “good voice acting”:
Let’s get animated! Become a voice and persona behind a character in Benjamin Smith ’13’s traditionally-animated senior thesis film, Pearly Whites. This dark comedy is not your Saturday Morning’s cartoon. Set in a sleepy town in Oregon, Pearly Whites details the events that occur in the life of a dentist whose newest patient has become addicted to Nitrous oxide (laughing gas). The film deals with themes of depression, parenting, and teeth. Lots and lots of teeth.
Voice Actor Requirements: The script has five male parts and one female part. However, two of the male roles are aged 8-10 years old, so they should be of particular interest to child and female voice actors. The other three male voices are 40 or “younger father’s age.” The single female voice is also 40. Those interested should note that this film does not require “cartoony” voices or impressions, just good voice acting.
