New Balls Please

In a major match at Wimbledon, the champion is losing to a newcomer to the tournament. When they take a break between games the tournament comes down to the mind games that the two play against each other.

This short was part of the 2003 series `animation in residence' or AIR for short. The plot takes a match of tennis and puts all the physiological stuff into a brief interaction on the sidelines where each player plays to the crowd to try and phase out the opponent. The antics are not hilarious but they are quite amusing.

The animation is pretty slick and looks cool throughout - especially some of the more extreme touches. The narration is reminiscent of real commentators and it is pretty realistic. It keeps the flow of the film going really well and is a welcome voice over to the action.

Overall this short may not be up to much but it is inventive and smart enough to easily fill 3 minutes and keep you watching without losing interest. An enjoyable short and a good entry to the AIR stable of animated shorts.