You may remember being glued to the TV screen as a kid, watching "Looney Tunes" on repeat until your parents switched off the set with a directive of, "Homework!"
You'd stare as woodland creatures sprung to life with bulging eyeballs, over the top expressions, a propensity for extreme violence, and the handy gift of immortal life. Pigs stuttered, bunnies dressed in drag, ducks lisped, and even the most puny of creatures could recover from a giant hammer accident with a mere shake of the head. Even the most mainstream of cartoons manage to create a world that existed nowhere before, born from the imagination and brought into the consciousness of who knows how many viewers.
Over the past 15 years, thanks to advancements in technology and education, it's a lot easier to draft a world all your own and bring it to life, without the help of a major animation house or production company. More than ever before, creative individuals are making animated works on their own terms, or with the help of a very small crew. As a result, cartoons are stranger, sillier and stupider than ever before -- and I mean that in the kindest way possible.
Cinefamily (Deep Space)
Alex McDonald and Kevin Sukho Lee are the founders and curators of Animation Breakdown, an annual event celebrating experimental animation around the world. At Cinefamily in Los Angeles, the four-day film festival features a guide through the most deliciously weird animated shorts from filmmakers and artists around the world. In Remy Schaepman's "Pentimento," a mysterious pig-shaped piñata floats toward Earth, leaving its citizens to react accordingly, while Wong Ping's "An Emo Nose" is a hallucinatory, neon-dripped adventure about a dude who loses his nose.
McDonald, a programmer for Cinefamily, and Lee, an animation producer at Nickelodeon, stress that they're not interested in a creating a "best of" syllabus with their featured works. Given their interest in unbridled creativity without much dedication to convention or prestige, this feels appropriate. Rather, the two hope to create a curated tour through contemporary film that can be experienced in a theater filled with likeminded fans, instead of, you know, in your bedroom on YouTube.
This is Animation Breakdown's third year, and for McDonald and Lee, there is no better time for the field of experimental animation. "I feel like animation has gotten into the hands of independent artists," Lee explained. "It used to not be feasible in the original techniques of animating. Now the tools are a lot more accessible and affordable and there are a lot more educational resources. People are able to do amazing films without having to go to college or pay their dues. What I get excited about is that people are making stuff instinctively, being naturally innovative and not trying to please some sort of perceived establishment. You don't have to conform. People are just making cool shit."
Cinefamily (An Emo Nose)
McDonald riffed off Lee's use of the word "instinctive," expanding on how this artistic intuition is at the core of animation's magic. "It's not an immediate art form, but somehow there is an instinctive quality to it that's different from film, that's closer to dance or music."
"If you come up with the idea for a film, you write a script, you get a cast, you have a producer and director -- you have all of these filters through which your vision goes," he added. "With animation, it goes from the head to the hand or whatever tool you're using and it's limitless. You're able to create whatever world you can dream of. It's the lack of boundaries in animation that fascinates me. You can, from one frame to the next, be taken someplace completely different in a way you can't in static art or live action filmed art. It's transportive in a way that other moving mediums just aren't able to be."
From December 10 through December 14, Los Angeles' Cinefamily will feature a variety of cartoon-happy programming that includes "Rick & Morty" Live!, Belladonna of Sadness, Creating Nickelodeon’s "Pig, Goat, Banana, Cricket" and far more. The whole thing kicks off with "Opening Night: Animation Breakdown Roundup!" a carefully selected slew of animated shorts from freaky visionaries around the world. See the trailer below and scroll down for stills from the featured films.
1. "Amaro and Walden's Joyride" (2015) by Tim McCourt and Max Taylor, London
Cinefamily
Two hooligan boy racers think they are in a music video. They're the best of friends but couldn't care less about each other's safety
2. "An Emo Nose" (2015) by Wong Ping, Hong Kong
Cinefamily
He has lost all interest of any kind in social activities after his nose left him.
3. "Apple Pie" (2015) by Marc M. and Sick Animation, Los Angeles
Cinefamily
A girl is sent by her boss, to pick up dessert for the office.
4. "Bartkira the Animated Trailer" Produced by Kaitlin Sullivan, Portland, Oregon
Cinefamily
Bartkira is an animated parody of "The Simpsons" and "Akira," based on an idea by Ryan Humphrey and the comic collaboration with James Harvey.
5. "Bath House (Simhall)" (2014) by Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Stockholm
Cinefamily
Six characters meet in a public bathhouse: the pedant bathhouse manager, a couple with a strange way of communicating, and a gang with shady intentions. Something goes wrong.
6. "Candy Power Dorothy" (2015) by Yong Hoon Joe, Korea
Cinefamily
A super food action movie wherein Fat Food Quartet tries to steal the golden cheese ring and Candy Dorothy tries to regain her lollipop.
7. "Cody's Positive Affirmations" (2015) by Joseph Bennett, Los Angeles
Cinefamily
Cody tenuously struggles to outrun who he really is.
8. "Deep Space" (2014) by Bruno Tondeur, Belgium
Cinefamily
Brandon is given his first intergalactic mission: to find an intelligent species. For months he’ll live a strange experience on a planet with surprising manners.
9. "First Date" (2015) by Joseph Bennett and Matt Furie, Los Angeles
Cinefamily
A collaboration with filmmaker Joseph Bennett and artist Matt Furie.
10. "Life with Herman H. Rott" (2015) by Chintis Lundgren, Estonia
Cinefamily
Herman is a rat who lives alone in a messy apartment. One day a very tidy cat shows up at his doorstep. With everything she owns.
11. "Loop Ring Chop Drink" (2014) by Nicolas Ménard, United Kingdom
Cinefamily
The mundane story of a heartbroken man, an online gambling addict, an alcoholic kleptomaniac and an anxious loner living in the same apartment building.
12. "menagerie" (2015) by Julian Gallese, Costa Rica
Cinefamily
Enter a bird’s dream world!
13. "Pentimento" (2014) by Remy Schaepman, France
Cinefamily
A giant pig-shaped piñata is coming down to Earth. Confronted by this apparition, mankind has to react with common sense and caution...
14. "Sports Nuts" (2015) by Marc M. and Sick Animation, Los Angeles
Cinefamily
Sports nuts gather to participate in the annual sports nut competition.
15. "Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabbit" (2015) by Wesley Louis, London
Cinefamily
Wesley Louis drew "Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabbit" as a comic when he was 13. Witness now the animated intro to the best TV-series that never was.
16. "Swap Meet" (2015) by Various Artists, various locations
Cinefamily
A collaborative experiment between 14 artists around the globe. Each artist creates a background, all backgrounds are traded randomly, and then animated upon freely.
17. "Weird Simpsons VHS" (2015) by Yoann Hervo, France
Cinefamily
This opening is just a small part of an unfinished collaborative project for the 25th anniversary of "The Simpsons." I’m serious.
"Animation Breakdown: Opening Night ABD Roundup" takes place at Cinefamily in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 11 at 7:30 pm. Programming continues throughout the week. Find tickets here.
Also on HuffPost:
2015 New York Film Festival Preview
"The Walk" (Opening Night • World Premiere)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis • Written by Christopher Browne and Robert Zemeckis
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon and Ben Schwartz
What to expect: JGL had two potential Oscar bids this year, until "Snowden" was delayed to 2016. Now he'll have to coast on his stint as French high-wire artist Philippe Petit, who tightroped his was between the Twin Towers in 1974. It's "Man on Wire" in the form of a 3-D spectacle, thanks to the director of "Back to the Future" and "Forrest Gump."
"The Walk" (Opening Night • World Premiere)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis • Written by Christopher Browne and Robert Zemeckis
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon and Ben Schwartz
What to expect: JGL had two potential Oscar bids this year, until "Snowden" was delayed to 2016. Now he'll have to coast on his stint as French high-wire artist Philippe Petit, who tightroped his was between the Twin Towers in 1974. It's "Man on Wire" in the form of a 3-D spectacle, thanks to the director of "Back to the Future" and "Forrest Gump."
Sony Pictures
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"Steve Jobs" (Centerpiece)
Directed by Danny Boyle • Written by Aaron Sorkin
Starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Katherine Waterston and Michael Stuhlbarg
What to expect: Critics who caught "Steve Jobs" at the Telluride Film Festival earlier this month raved about it. Just don't be confused with the dismal biopic that starred Ashton Kutcher a couple of years ago -- this one is based on Walter Isaacson's biography and will probably walk away with a pile of Oscar nominations.
Universal
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"Miles Ahead" (Closing Night • World Premiere)
Directed by Don Cheadle • Written by Steven Baigelman, Don Cheadle, Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson
Starring Don Cheadle, Ewan McGregor, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Michael Stuhlbarg, Keith Stanfield and Austin Lyon
What to expect: "Miles Ahead" doesn't have a release date, but Don Cheadle is firing up his jazz horns to play Miles Davis at NYFF anyway. It'll be tough to find a slot for this biopic on the crowded fall movie calendar, especially if Cheadle wants a leg up in the Best Actor and Best Director races.
NYFF
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"Bridge of Spies" (World Premiere)
Directed by Steven Spielberg • Written by Matt Charman, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Starring Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda and Austin Stowell
What to expect: One of the few major Oscar contenders that has yet to hit the festival circuit, "Bridge of Spies" marks Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's fourth film collaboration after "Saving Private Ryan," "Catch Me If You Can" and "The Terminal." It's about the lawyer who was recruited to defend an American pilot imprisoned in the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
DreamWorks
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"Carol"
Directed by Todd Haynes • Written by Phyllis Nagy
Starring Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson and Jake Lacy
What to expect: A favorite at the Cannes Film Festival, "Carol" is destined to appear on ample best-of lists this year. It's the moving, delicate tale of a young retail clerk and an older, married woman who begin a clandestine relationship in 1950s New York. Prepare to be stunned by this movie.
TWC
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"The Assassin" (U.S. Premiere)
Directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien • Written by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Chu Tien-wen, Hsieh Hai-Meng and Zhong Acheng
Starring Shu Qi, Chang Chen, Zhou Yun and Satoshi Tsumabuki
What to expect: Hou Hsiao-Hsien won the Cannes Film Festival's directing prize in May, and earlier this month it was announced that "The Assassin" will be Taiwan's submission for 2016's Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. The martial-arts tale focuses on a political rivalry in the ninth century's Tang dynasty.
NYFF
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"Maggie's Plan" (U.S. Premiere)
Written and directed by Rebecca Miller
Starring Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph and Travis Fimmel
What to expect: "Maggie's Plan" left the Toronto Film Festival with decent reviews but no distribution deal. That changed on Thursday when Sony Pictures Classics snatched it up, and rightfully so. We saw it at Toronto and are of the mind that Julianne Moore's performance as an arrogant academic Dane is worth a hefty sum. In truth, the Baumbach-esque comedy belongs to Greta Gerwig, whose title character falls for a married writer while on the path to becoming pregnant via a donor.
NYFF
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"The Lobster"
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos • Written by by Efthimis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, John C. Reilly, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw and Ashley Jensen
What to expect: "Dogtooth" is one of the most divinely bizarre movies of the past decade, and the same director has made one of this year's most divinely bizarre movies. "The Lobster" peeks in on a near-future dystopia in which single people are transformed into animals. We saw it at the Toronto Film Festival and thought it was thrilling.
NYFF
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"Son of Saul"
Directed by László Nemes • Written by László Nemes and Clara Royer
Starring Géza Röhrig, Urs Rechn, Levente Molnár and Sándor Zsótér
What to expect: This grisly portrait of the Holocaust has been called "visceral" and "gripping and grueling." Tracing an Auschwitz prisoner forced to escort his fellow Jews to the gas chambers, "Son of Saul" could slip into this year's Oscar conversation.
NYFF
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"Everything Is Copy" (World Premiere)
Directed by Jacob Bernstein and Nick Hooker
What to expect: Nora Ephron gave us some of film's most beloved romances, and now there is a love letter in her honor in the form of "Everything Is Copy." The documentary, co-directed by the "When Harry Met Sally" scribe's son, traces Ephron's career from journalist to filmmaker. It will air on HBO at a later date.
NYFF
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"Where to Invade Next" (U.S. Premiere)
Written and directed by Michael Moore
What to expect: Michael Moore's newest documentary was a secret until it appeared on the Toronto Film Festival lineup in July. It's billed as a diatribe about America's penchant for invading other countries, but the movie may be Moore's least partisan outing yet. He visits other nations to poach ideas that would make America a fairer place, and the results are equal parts witty and damning.
NYFF
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"De Palma" (North American Premiere)
Directed by Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow
What to expect: Film buffs can rely on NYFF to deliver documentaries and special events that highlight cinema's history. In keeping, this film pulls back the curtain on Brian De Palma, who is best known as the director of "Carrie" and "Mission: Impossible."
NYFF
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"No Home Movie" (U.S. Premiere)
Directed by Chantal Akerman
What to expect: Chantal Akerman's 1975 drama "Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles" is considered a feminist masterpiece. Her body of work in subsequent years has been expansive, but "No Home Movie" may be her most intimate. It's a documentary that chronicles Akerman's mother in the final years of her life.
NYFF
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"Junun" (World Premiere)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
What to expect: Paul Thomas Anderson recruited Jonny Greenwood to score "There Will Be Blood," "The Master" and "Inherent Vice." Now he's following the Radiohead guitarist to India to record an album with a slew of musicians.
NYFF
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"Microbe & Gasoline" (U.S. Premiere)
Written and directed by Michel Gondry
Starring Théophile Baquet, Ange Dargent and Audrey Tautou
What to expect: Something trippy, as this is the newest comedy from the director of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "The Science of Sleep." The movie, which revolves around two young boys who build their own vehicle for a road trip, opened to positive reviews in France over the summer before hitting the American festival scene.
NYFF
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"O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson, John Turturro, John Goodman and Holly Hunter
What to expect: This Odyssey update is turning 15, so the Coen brothers will gather with a few cast members to commemorate the men of constant sorrow.
NYFF
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