Ryan

"Ryan" is an animated short story movie which shows us Chris Landreth who introduces himself to us and then he makes something like an intervention to Ryan Larkin. Ryan Larkin was a very popular animator in the 1960s and early 1970s who unfortunately became an alcoholic and he lost his mind because of some things that happened in his life.

We also see Felicity Fanjoy his big love in the best periods of his life and Derek Lamb who was his producer. The movie takes place in a restroom or something like a restaurant and we can observer that in there all the people who are there are homeless and had some issues.

Finally we follow Ryan Larkin to the streets where he is begging for some money, and I think that was the most sadly moment of this movie.

Don't follow the genre at all so I have no idea how unique the effects are. Just happened to catch it on the CBC indie show Zed and was reminded about it when I heard it got an Oscar nomination. And I must say, this is a rare instance where you see a new technology being applied in a way that actually enhances every aspect of what happens to be a deep and touching story. As opposed to today's big budget CGI which provides little more than a cheap thrill. I can imagine if I were in Ryan's shoes in his regrettable state, I would feel exactly like the stripped down fragments of skin, bone, tendons and random Rube Goldberg parts he's depicted as. A must see film, and not only because of the gorgeous animation. 10/10

I saw this film at the Newport International Film Festival a few days ago (June 12, 2005). It won an award at the Festival for Best Animated Short.

I am an animation enthusiast who has created some of his own experimental animations. Up until seeing "Ryan" I didn't know the film existed and the NIFF did not list it as an Academy Award winner. So I went into the theater to see a series of short animated movies of which "Ryan" was included.

When I LEFT the shorts program screening, I couldn't help thinking of how profoundly moved I had been after having seen "Ryan". The imagination and creativity that went into the making this short were nothing short of incredible. The two main characters were fragmented and distorted in a way that represented (as many of you have said) the disintegration of the psyche and persona of the individuals. But the faces still had shreds of their original faces included. This was one of the animation techniques that amazed me the most because I really could not tell if the facial shreds were computer generated or rotoscoped from the faces of actors then applied to the individual shreds.

This movie was also laid out as an animated documentary, which is unusual. This means that there isn't much action. Everything is in the interviews that were conducted throughout the film. This means the animators had to REALLY pay attention to the small details. One detail in particular occurred towards the end of the film. This detail shows all street signs, store fronts and window writing written backwards. But if you look closely in one of the windows, you will see the reflection of one of the characters, and he is a complete being. So the world we have been taken to in this marvelous film is very similar to the world Alice stumbled into when she went through the looking glass.

This is a very definite 10 out of 10. Most of my points are awarded for imagination, creativity and for telling a moving story about someone I had never heard of before.

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Edit 10/17/2011

Entire film on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrsVa3CzQj0

"Ryan" deserves ever accolade it has received and more. It illuminates. It shines a light on a piece of animation history while putting it into the greater context of one animator's creative journey. It is that rare example of a true animated documentary, using the form to better tell the story, enhancing it. Utilizing the fanciful to better tell the truth.

It has recently become available on DVD for five dollars at www.Filmporium.com. I highly recommend adding this academy-award winner to your library. This is one film that not holds up to, but rewards repeated viewing. The DVD also contains Bill Plympton's "Eat" and the circle-of-life short "Flux" by Chris Hinton.

I bought a ticket for the Sundance animated short program thinking that I will see the usual rehashed animated fare. Boy, was I wrong. But as good and creative as the other shorts were, Ryan stood way out.

It is something truly original, not just because it is a computer animated documentary, but also because of the truly inventive use of the capabilities of CGI animation. The movie tells Ryan Larkin's life story in a concise but very touching way. I promise it will be the perfect roller-coaster ride, it will make you happy and sad, and it will make you think. And it will also make you stare at the gorgeous imagery.

I doubt you can find a better way to spend 14 minutes of your life.