Mr. Hublot

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.

This shirt is completely deserving of the Oscar it won. The animation is out of this world and the twist ending give it a nice, satisfying wrap up of the whole story.

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.

Its impossible to mention, "Mr. Hublot" without naming the creator of those absolutely brilliant 3D characters. Well, *almost* impossible, as I have not read a single review of the film where the creator was, in fact, mentioned.

The denizens of "Mr Hublot" were invented and physically created by the genius Belgian artist, Stephane Halleux and pre-dated the film itself!

His absence in all of the film's reviews is most odd, since when the film had won 'Best Animated Short' at the Academy Award, it was Mr. Halleux himself who had graciously (and most deservedly) accepted the award in 2013.

The entire film is based upon his fantastic creations- their iconically quirky and unique Steampunk design. There would be no film without them. Unlike most all animated films, the characters are created for the film itself and did not exsist until the fulm was produced. But here, Mr. Halleux's characters were already physically created and it was their design that begged the need for an animated movie.

Ultimately, the fact that his name never comes up in the reviews is disturbing. Its like giving an Academy Award to "Fantasia" and not mentioning that it was Walt Disney who had created Mickey Mouse.