Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Overlooked: Pink Floyd's "The Wall"



Frames from my film "Drink" and "Moving Along" next to frames from "The Wall", a massive influence, not that my stuff comes close. I've posted a good quality quicktime of this sequence here, by far the most impressive bit of animation in the film. When I play this clip, it reminds me of what i want to try to accomplish within this amazing medium.

I think "The Wall" is an overlooked film. I rarely even hear it mentioned. There are segments in that film that I see as some of the most original, emotional, and effective animation ever. I don't say that lightly. The particular segment that begins with the flower sequence, during the song "Empty Spaces", was originally responsible for getting me into the medium. The film has over 15 minutes of animation designed by artist Gerald Scarfe. I'm not a huge Scarfe fan, but his style worked well here. Some of the Animators include Mike Stuart(yellow submarine), Chris Caunter(watership down, little mermaid), Bill Hajee(rescuers) and Angela Kovacs(roger rabbit) all brits, i believe.