Mr. Hublot

Is the only point to this a sense of responsibility for what we bring into our homes. The robotic dog absolutely destroys the calm of our OCD guy. He eats too much; he does damage; he takes up all kinds of room; and he offers virtually nothing in return. Unless you give him a space-taking kind of companionship. The development of feelings never really takes place and we are left with perpetual suffering.

I've heard some Oscar prognosticators say that the Academy might eschew the obvious (Disney's "Get a Horse!") and vote for this seemingly more original piece. Frankly, I didn't think it was all that original. It's a pretty basic animated short and isn't anywhere near as clever as "Get a Horse!" It's nice, though, and great to look at. A man in a futuristic, mechanical world notices a robot dog that has been abandoned outside his apartment. He adopts it, but it starts to grow too large for his home. As cute as dog stories are (my favorite animated short last year, by far, was "Adam and Dog"), my main thought about this one is "It's a robot dog. Why is it growing?" Still, this was the only one that garnered applause from the audience with which I saw it.

This year's crop of Oscar-nominated animated shorts is unusual. In the past, normally there are 2 or 3 films which are exceptional and I would be happy seeing any of them win. This year, however, "Get a Horse!" is so superior that I would be incredibly shocked if it did not win. Now I normally prefer shorts from small film companies--as I want to encourage the non-corporate players and an Oscar is a great way to do it. But Disney simply outdid itself and the rest just pale in comparison.

Of the rest of the crop, I think "Mr. Hublot" and "Room on the Broom" are the best of the rest. While "Room on the Broom" is more of a complete film (combining a nice story with good animations), "Mr. Hublot" is the best (aside from Disney's) when it comes to animation style, quality and artistry. I really want to see more films from the folks who made this--they have incredible animations.

As far as the story goes, I don't want to give too much away. The story is set in a weird alternate reality that is a combination of steam punk and a bizarro futuristic world. Mr. Hublot seems to have a lot of problems with obsessive-compulsive behaviors (though in this world, I might also!). Into this very ordered world comes some disorder in the form of a robo-dog. I cannot really say more--because it's indescribable.

The bottom line is that this film is a visual treat. I strongly doubt it will win the Oscar but it clearly deserved the nomination.

I don't know if you have played "Machinarium" or have you ever seen the "Breaking Bad" TV-series? I think Mr. Hublot is a combination of these two, how? let me tell you, this guy some how is a scrupulous man and as you see in the animation he is very meticulous and precise also he has some kind of obsession about simple normal life issues -for example turning the lights on and off for a distinct number of times-,Maybe he represents the new modern human which does not have enough time for rethinking about his habits. But always there is hope and turning back points. For Mr. Hublot it is when he starts to live with the street dog. He somehow starts to have an iron and robotic feeling and communication with the dog -I call it Machinarium Love-, he starts to see things different from how he saw them before. The spectacular scene is when he turns on the drill and you wonder No man Don't do that, then you see a very interesting and wonderful "Breaking Bad" from Mr. Hublot, That's his very turning point,wow he demolished whole the obsesses he confronted in his life. He destroyed the hollow house he had built and starts to construct a real new one. I enjoyed a lot and I hope you enjoy more.

MR. HUBLOT is a nominee for the Best Animated Short Subject for its year and it is an interesting and amusing silent cartoon. Judging by the movie's title, its makers are fans of Jacques Tati and his Monsieur Hulot.

Although Mr. Hublot -- the character, not the film -- lacks the slapstick skills which underlay Tati's films -- and hence is a little too serious to be terribly amusing with his realistically detailed agoraphobia and obsessive compulsive behavior -- the film's basic good story and its technically proficient animation certainly help maintain interest throughout. I greatly enjoyed the film, without feeling it should win the Oscar.