Sintel

I watched this film for the first time today and it was not by chance. I knew of this film as I have seen some other films made using the open source Blender software and I was aware that this film was not only made using that tool but that the whole film is open to be used and changed by anyone who wishes to do so. The irony of this is that currently the film has been removed by YouTube due to a copyright claim by Sony that the film somehow violates their property, a situation that tells me Sony used part of the film (music or otherwise) and are now claiming it as their own, thus entirely missing the point of what this film and others like it are trying to do.

Hopefully this will be resolved although it is depressing to see that even the suggestion of infraction from a corporation sees the project removed. Anyway, in terms of the film itself, away from such controversy, the narrative sees a young woman travelling alone deep into the mountain and into danger. An encounter with a bandit leaves her injured but rescued by an old man, to whom she relates the reason for her journey – a journey which begins with her finding an injured baby dragon some time before.

The headlines all relate to the technical aspects of this film so it is worth saying that the narrative engages too. It is a solid tale that draws you in but is built on darkness. It is a combination that doesn't totally work and although I applaud the ending for going in the direction it did, it is brutally harsh just to drop that on a viewer. Technically the film is very well made, the animation is great and it is hard to believe that it was made outside of a large studio – not only is this cheering but it actually works and looks great throughout.

Sintel represents another step forward in the idea of the creative commons being a positive and collaborative idea and Blender in particular being something about moving forward; however this is not to say that this is where its value comes from because really the short stands up on its own, looking great and having a brutal but memorably brave narrative too. If there was ever a greater example of the need to support such projects, it is the fact that Sony have challenged it for taking their property.

This is a top quality animated film and i don't want to leave any spoilers. Just watch it and you won't be disappointed. If I had to make one small criticism it would be that the girl didn't appear to get any older, if they had made her age gradually through the quest maybe added the tattoos as she gets older changed her features and body shape slightly, hair colour ect it would have made the ending much more poinient.

I didn't know what I was in for here, aside from "Sintel" being an animated short film.

But as I had the opportunity to sit down and watch it, of course I did so. I had never seen it before, nor actually heard about it. So writers Esther Wouda, Martin Lodewijk and Colin Levy had every opportunity to impress and bedazzle me.

Sure, the storyline was fair enough. But running at a mere 14 minutes, of course it was limited what the writers could cram into the narrative, so it was a bit rushed. But it proved to be fair enough entertainment for a single viewing.

The CGI in "Sintel" haven't aged well. It looked like something that was spawned in the early 2000s, not 2010. And the CGI rendering sort of took away from the overall enjoyment of this 2010 animated movie from director Colin Levy.

It is not something that I will return to watch a second time.

How did this 2010 animated movie land a 7.4 rating? That is simply beyond my comprehension.

My rating of "Sintel" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Third short film by the Amsterdam-based Blender Foundation. Sintel is partly meant to promote the open source animation software Blender and to be used for demo-purposes (3d, 4k)by it's sponsors.

But it's far more than a very crafty demo. Script and storyline are clearly worked out on a elaborate scale, comprising three different levels. One might see it as a fantasy-action movie, but it also packs a coming-of-age sideline and a sobering life-lesson.

Loner Sintel (Dutch for Cinder)befriends a baby dragon an nurtures it, until it's snatched from her in a dramatic scene. The quest to find the dragon is somewhat rushed in a montage and throughout the movie some movement seems unnatural, but the amount of detail in props and background is amazing. Double so, because this was made by just 14 animators, script editor, technician and director (and numerous members of the Blender community who made props and scenes online) in just over a year, at a total cost of 400.000 euro.

I have to admit this short animation is really great, i do enjoy from the first second till last, everything is perfect, great plot & great music ( well there is of course imperfection with some movement of character if you compare it to a high budge 3d animation movie, but i will still call this perfect ) especially the last song of their soundtrack "I move on", i would like to see the movie version of this because 15 minutes is to short i want to see some more!!! Moving on, bravery and friendship is the main morality message in the movie, they try to give you a lesson with an usual way to help you to let go your past, i found this movie is very motivating also,if you need quick boosting to be inspired or when you feel down then this could be a great remedies. Also this short movie is great for every age, children to adult i guarantee you will enjoy it.