The animation strand of EIFF 2018 includes four programmes: New British Animation 1 & 2, International, and a retrospective, this year on UK animator Elizabeth Hobbs. This post includes my short thoughts on the animations included in the New British Animation part 2 that were under consideration for the EIFF’s McLaren Award as well as the winner of the award!

(This review is in order of their screening)

Roughhouse – Jonathan Hodgson/16 min

Slightly depressing and a bit rough around the edges, this animation was an emotional journey about a group of friends who are living together. The animation style reflected the storyline, enhancing theĀ  gritty and relatable life of these characters.

Severn Drive – Tom Mathieson/2 min

Set to a poem, this animation was a project by three childhood friends and is based off of the road they grew up on. The style is very bright, fluid, and colorful. It shows off Mathieson’s strong aesthetic ideals.

Snow White Cologne – Amanda Eliasson/6 min

This beautiful animation is a visual poem about a girl’s story of drug addiction. Sometimes abstract, but always expressive, this is a bittersweet short film of love and sorrow.

Red dress. No straps – Maryam Mohajer/8 min

A sweet animation about a young girl at her grandparent’s house. With a soft and tactile art style, this everyday story of youth has a twist at the end which might leave you stunned.

Togetherness – Kim Noce, Shaun Clark/5 min

Pixilation! A simple story about body parts that realize that being united is better than being apart. With a narrator conducting this animated dance, it is a fun watch.

Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me) – Sparks – Joseph Wallace/4 min

An short adventure set to a song, two people chase down an elusive and beautiful bird in this short film. The puppets and set design were very nice in this animation, making it especially dreamy.

That Yorkshire Sound – Marcus Armitage/3 min

A mini documentary, this animation flows through Yorkshire following the sounds of the cityscape, countryside, vehicles, and the daily life of its inhabitants. This short film is full of strong colors and visual appeal.

Marfa – Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod/8 min

Composed of short scenes and vignettes, this simple and clean short film captures the heart of the Texan city for which it’s named. Its use of interviews (not sure about this) for dialogue, makes it even more unique to the city.

The Brave Heart or (The Day we Enabled the Sleepwalking Protocol) – Sinem Vardarli, Luca Schenato/10 min

This short film anthropomorphizes organs in the human body, imagining how they might react to a dire situation rising from their human partying the night before. A fun watch full of humor and drama.

Mamoon – Ben Steer/6 min

This was my favorite short of the Part II collection. A story of a mother and son torn apart by unseen forces, their lives play out in an inventive animation medium. The landscape is made of what seems to be foam blocks with the action projected over them. This led to a multi-dimensional and unique short film.

Inanimate – Lucia Bulgheroni/9 min

A peek through the fourth wall, the protagonist of this short film realizes that she is a stop motion puppet. The animation is emotional, well-crafted, and it shows a little insight into the process of creating an stop motion short film.

The winner of the EIFF 2018 McLaren Award was Take Rabbit! I was very happy that this film was the award winner and thought it made a lot of sense. It had an interesting premise, witty and heartfelt dialogue, and a unique animation style. It was one of the more accessible animations and had a lot of appeal to people from different age ranges. If you can watch it… watch it!

The McLaren Award is based on audience participation. Both Part I and Part II had different votes at which the viewers would indicate their first, second, and third choice. The winner was announced at the festival’s closing gala on July 1st.

*All images are from the EIFF website https://www.edfilmfest.org.uk