Animal Behaviour

I was surprised that this short was up for an Oscar in the best short-animated category. The film, which is about a diverse group of anthropomorphic animals in therapy (led by a reformed pit-bull) is moderately funny but not particularly clever, innovative, nor memorable.

This animated short is quite wonderful. They use animals as patients in a psychologist's group session The pig has an eating problem, the praying mantis, dating issues, and so on. The pacing is fine and dull until a gorilla with anger issues shows up and throws the place into chaos. It is skillfully crafted and reaches a point where the usual is cast aside to move one to reality. However, our dog psychiatrist never really gets the message.

I wish there was more to it. Started off like a good idea but just kinda fizzled.

I've watched quite a few Oscar-nominated animated shorts recently, and I've come to the conclusion that of the matrix of characteristics and circumstances that contribute to the nominating process, quality apparently does not play a very large role.

The animation in this film is unremarkable, the voice acting unexceptional, and the screenplay quite lame. The writers have taken the most tired stereotypes about animals (eg., cats are so fastidious about cleaning themselves! dogs are so eager to please!) and turned them into the most predictable jokes possible about neurosis (what if that cat had OCD! it's almost like the cat can't stop washing her hands! hahaha!). There are no surprises here, no marvels, and unfortunately no laughs.

The National Film Board of Canada hasn't shown up much in the last couple of years of Oscar noteworthies, and so it's good to see them back again with this traditional "funny animal" cartoon. A bulldog is a therapist leading a group session that includes a preying mantis, a leech. a pig, a bird and a cat. A new group member appears, an ape with anger issues who's in denial. they all have their obsessive behavior, actions that are typical of their species, but expressed in popular psychobabble.

It has some serious points to make about anthropomorphism and self-obsession, but mostly it's very funny. That's the thing about the NFB, they're interested in making good short subjects.... that appeal to people. Assuming that you consider me a person, and aren't more worried about pigs, leeches, and so forth.