Logorama

I am not a brand conscious person; for me, as long as the beverage tastes yummy, I don't care if Subway has made it or McDonalds. But for most people, brands do matter. A friend of mine won't wear shoes unless they are Reebok's or Nike's. My father bought an Apple I- Pad and an I-Touch for the family. I myself, though not too fastidious about brands, prefer buying Playstations rather X-box or Wii. For the corporate sectors, having a brand-name gives them an edge over others. In India, after all these years, Parle G remains extremely reasonable and popular among biscuits because of the homely brand name. I love 'Dark Fantasy' biscuits over 'Hide N' Seek' ones, but the latter is more recognized in the market. Horlicks noodles are tastier than Maggi noodles, I feel but my sister refuses to touch anything but Maggi. In short, Brand is Grand.

On the first viewing, many would be disoriented by the hype that Logorama has received. Even I was bemused, since the short is profane, violent, dispassionate and also a bit sexist. Pringles Hot and Sweet taps the Esso lady's butt and also passes crude remarks in the beginning. Ronald is a completely berserk Joker meets Alex from Clockwork Orange. Mr. Clean has been reduced to an effeminate zoo-keeper, while the famed Leo the Lion has been reduced to a big p***y. But I made a mistake of watching this right after reviewing Geri's Game, a luminous Pixar effort. Now you get why I was not crazy for this the first time. But watching it again today, I got an entirely different perception of the movie. Logorama was not made to sermonize, it was created to entertain and acknowledge the supremacy and influence of brands over modern man.

USA is probably more loaded with brands considering the market economy that it has adopted. The film is over-loaded with brands, with brand names on animals, apples, birds, buildings, cars, CDs, earthquake cracks, guns, hats, human beings, hoardings, motorbikes, roads, signage, tiles, tables, walkie-talkies, windows and even Orange juice! The principal characters include two puffy, fast-food loving officers, a nefarious Ronald McDonald, an Esso waitress and two bratty kids. The officers are to apprehend Ronald McDonald, who is an inveterate criminal who causes collateral damage to the city.

The animation is well-defined, with special attention paid only to the characters and things that matter, just like an advertisement. Some would complain that the environment is shoddily done, but Logorama does not intend to be Pixar; its only intention is to satirize the modernized society. Ronald is the most clearly drawn character, with dark and menacing eyes and voice and a foul, impulsive behavior. The two snotty children are spoilt, impish and materialistic, mooning in front of the lion and using cuss words. Much like the children of today. When one of the guys lies on the grass with the lady after an adventure, I thought it would have been a good idea to hand him a hand-held console to show how indifferent and self-involved today's children are.

The two fat officers begin a random conversation about zoos, thus linking the two children with the story. One of the officers sounds like Morgan Freeman from Nurse Betty or Samuel Jackson from Pulp Fiction and the other like John Travolta from PF, except these are cops. When the second cop goes to buy a snack and look at all the available options, there's a 'Yum!' sign behind the cop as his mouth waters. There are various other innovative ad references, including the surprising Nickelodeon logo, the hard-to-notice Xbox logo and the wittily used Viao logo.

The plot itself is cheesy and reminiscent of a 80s exploitation film, with the vulgar tone, the inane lines, the potty humor and the objectification of women by Pringles men! But everything adds to the zaniness that this movie is. The mindless action and the deus ex machina both are great references to the current fad among many teenagers, who have no liking for meaningful films.

The music in the film has probably been inspired by Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove and is very mild and intentionally paradoxical compared to the rest of the film. It may be a reference to those goody-goody ads and films showing how perfect everyone's life is.

Logorama is a cogent short effectively conveyed in its convenient sixteen minutes. Just one advice- do not go for this after watching a Pixar film, or you'll be shocked and offended! My rating: 8.5/10

Logorama is a simple satire but one that does well to capitulate almost a century of corporate culture. It's brought to life by segments of colorfully animated rotor-style 3D animation which punctuates the style of logos with cell-shading. The film's lack of a coherent story is in itself a nod to brainless blockbuster entertainment as it is filled with a number of over-the-top action movie nuances. In light of this, the short has some entertainment in the form of crude comedy and action, but this is all some-what diluted by the shear intended chaos of the film.

In the end, the film did a decent job of pointing a not-so subtle finger at the potential of social decline due to an inundation of consumer culture that feeds on the one thing it promotes.

LOGORAMA brings to life a world built out of familiar logos. Hundreds of logos and mascots are used, and they include examples from software companies, shopping centers, restaurants, sports teams, movies, and any number of other products, agencies, and corporations. It's a lot of fun watching all of these familiar logos used so creatively. They fill the screen and zip by without calling attention to themselves. Watching LOGORAMA is like a game of "How Many Logos Can You Name?" To fully appreciate this animated short, one needs to freeze-frame each part and check out all the details.

I cannot imagine how much work it must have been filling this virtual city with all of those brands. Each logo fits in in some logical way. Boxy logos, for example, are often used as buildings, while pedestrians are made from the yellow AOL Instant Messenger guy or the Bic pen guy. Cops are Michelin men. The zoo includes the MGM lion and the Linux penguin. Hundreds and hundreds of everyday logos are used and they are used so cleverly that it nearly boggles the mind. As new logos reveal themselves, the viewer is awestruck. "Aw, man! No way!"

It's that cool.

The plot is secondary, but includes chase scenes, gunfire, and natural disasters. It's action-packed. The dialogue is laced with profanity and the cartoon has a mature (PG-13?) edge.

LOGORAMA doesn't seem to have any deep symbolic meaning. It's just a fun way to kind of comment on how many different corporate logos people are familiar with nowadays. Our everyday lives are flooded with these images on TV, in newspaper ads, on the street, etc. This film takes these well-known images and has fun with them.

I think it's great fun to see all of the familiar logos and images, but the profanity seems a little unnecessary and off-putting and the low-budget voice cast could be better. (Just my opinion.) Still the visual experience is well worth it and the details in this short warrant repeat viewings and freeze-frame inspection.

How many logos can YOU name?

After about two minutes of this, I was starting to look out for which logos weren't there. To be fair, it takes aan even swipe at the global branding industry and not just the American one, but that doesn't really do much to alleviate the repetitiveness of the project - even if a police chase is introduced to liven things up; there's some flirting that "only tickles for a little while", and we even have an earthquake. The writers needed to remember that just because you swear a lot, it doesn't make it funny and I was a bored with this quite early. It is cleverly structured and quickly paced, effectively reminding us of just how pervasive advertising and marketing are in our culture, and the sight of Ronald McDonald with an Uzi 9mm does raise a smile but otherwise it's a noisy nothing special, I'm afraid, that's far too long and labours it's point. I know - Starfleet Command isn't there....

In a city made completely of corporate logos and branding, two cops shoot the breeze until they spot a fugitive from justice and give chase leading to a cataclysmic conclusion.

Whether or not it is intended as a commentary on the nature of American "culture" (and I think it is), this is a remarkably well made short film that mixes clever ideas with a real understanding of the genre that they are using as a vehicle to their satire. To deal with the surface first – this film is very clever in the way it utilises brands and logos in every aspect of the world it creates. Not all of them will be recognisable but the design of them will make them unmistakable as brands even if the names escape you. It is startling how many you will recognise and, while some have complained that the film is little more than a game of "spot the brand", I did think that the high hit-rate was perhaps part of the point and it was a point well made.

If the film was only a cleverly use series of logos then perhaps this may have been a valid point, but the short goes onto to spoof American movies and culture by delivering all this in the middle of a high-octane crime thriller where everything goes up to 11 and, if it can be destroyed in glorious Technicolor, then it is. It gets this spot on and shows a real understanding of the genre. OK the Tarantino-esque chat is a little obvious but past this the direction and framing of the shots and "camera" movements could all be taken straight out of many blockbuster action movies – movies perhaps that are accused of product-placement with their cars, watches, drinks etc etc. In this way the film actually engages beyond "spot the logo" and "isn't America morally bankrupt?" because it delivers an exciting action short with plenty of movement and style.

I really was surprised by how enjoyable it was. I would have liked it to have had a bit more teeth in regards the satirical aspect to it but this part still did just about work for me. Beyond it though I can understand why some did see it as all style and logos because the logos are used really well and the style is genre-perfect. A very clever short film that deserves credit for not wallowing in the smartness of its idea or for being snide or acerbic in its commentary.