Lunes cerrado

A drunk finds an open door at an art gallery which is usually - for apparently very good reasons - CLOSED MONDAYS.

With this ingenious little cartoon, Will Vinton and his talented artists announced that they had entered the animation world in a big way. Their Claymation magic was able to ring the subtlest changes of emotion and bring out nuances of character remarkable for three dimensional props. As here, where the old inebriate finds himself drawn into the secret life of the various exhibits, so the viewers find themselves falling into a suspension of disbelief both rational & expectant.

Winner of the 1974 Oscar for Best Animated Short.

The 1974 winner of Best Animated Short depicts a man looking at artwork that appears to come to life. I especially liked the malfunctioning computer. One might interpret Will Vinton's "Closed Mondays" as a look at the relationship between humanity and the art that we produce. There's even the question of how to define art. I wouldn't call this my favorite Will Vinton cartoon, but I enjoyed it. Personally I don't think that enough people get to see the nominated animated shorts. They tend to be far more interesting than the features voiced by the celebrities of the moment.

Anyway, this one is worth seeing. It's too bad that Phil Knight took over Will Vinton's studio and fired Vinton from it.

I saw this film on video when I was about seven years old. It was on a tape of various animated shorts, including "Sundae in New York". This was the last film to play, and I have to say I was astounded. Even as a child, I admired the haunting beauty of the animation, and the simple but surreal plot line. I already was a fan of Wil Vinton's work in "Return to Oz", but this film showed a unique creativity that still affects me to this day. I think that it is a crime that it is not available on DVD, and should be offered alongside some of Jan Svankmajer's work. The end (which I will not reveal) still makes me wonder about the nature of the man in the museum.

It's the one-woman show of "Celia Crazelsnuk" that our visitor has come to view. It's supposed to be closed on Mondays, but armed with his bottle and a very limited knowledge of art - in he goes! There are paintings and there are sculptures - and when they start to come alive it gives him (and us) an opportunity to see some vibrant and quite emotional animations. These work well offering quite a wide variety of subject matter and even a very talkative robot, but it's the stop-motion of the man himself that's most impressive. The facial expressions and muscle definition is worthy or Ray Harryhausen himself. I loved the ending, too!

A charming parable about thin border between life and art. A drinken man in an art gallery in evening. His discoveries , his experiences and the truths front to it.

A wise and seductive crafted short animation , a simple story about illusions and reality and one of perfect ends.

But the precious gift is the final feeling, a mix of nostalgia and tenderness , flavors of childhood and feeling of be older, both working in interesting manner together.

A parable, many. Useful for fair status of experience profound unique.

The result is a kick to reflection about significant things defining the life.