More

Mark Osborne is a truly gifted man. More does not break new ground in the visual field of cel and claymation, but does that matter? A film can only be truly enjoyed if you like its story. More succeeds immensely.

After a first viewing, you'll be confused. "Uh, the goggles?...The glowing stuff?...The kids?" Let me tell you something: You MUST see More several times before you understand its meaning. And what a meaning it is.

There is an obvious fact that so much work and toil went into this six-minute short; the simple-modeled clay drone's emotions are perfectly modeled and presented; you feel his pain, frustration, and sadness.

Two versions of the film exist: The original, with a soundtrack by New Order, and a recent music video with the song "Hellbent" by Kenna. Despite most people saying they prefer the original, I don't think I can pick one over the other. The New Order music does a wonderful job of making you feel how bleak and dull the world is, while Hellbent contrasts with the main character's emotions.

You owe it to yourself to spare six minutes and watch this at ifilm.com. You simply cannot call yourself a viewer of art until you have seen this messiah of animated shorts.

...because films like "More" really deserve it.

This is the kind of work that makes me want to quit my job and learn stop-action animation. It's amazing how much life you can infuse into a simple construction of clay-and-wire with a camera.

The world needs more short films like this! Let's start a petition to have a short flick preceding EVERY feature film. (Maybe that would make the $8 ticket price less of a punch in the eye.)

That's the first word that came to mind after I watched this film. It is a sad, yet also touching study into the worth of happiness, and the repetition and dead-endness of working class jobs. This film was done using stop-action claymation and is probably one of the best (if not the best) one made. It was nominated for a 1998 Academy Award for Best Short Animated Film. Some screenings are available on the net, so if you ever come across it, check it out!

George Santayana, call your answering service. This is a perfect example of what he was talking about with history repeating, if on a smaller, more localized, scale. Watch this carefully and you'll see what I'm talking about. This lost to Bunny for Animated Short, which I'm certain Bunny won because it is a more visually stunning cartoon. Given that both have a lot going for them in terms of intent, plot, ideas and eloquence, I suspect More could have won if Bunny hadn't been visually incredible. Personally, I wish there had been a tie between them. There is certainly nothing for either of these magnificent shorts to be sorry about and both deserve praise and a wider audience. More is solid in all respects-animation, backgrounds, story, music and so on. In most years, probably a winner of record. Given how precious little recent short animation is in print at the moment (very little), an audience for More is preferable to any award, in any case. Too bad that there isn't perceived to be much of a market for things like Bunny and More. It may not be huge, but a market does exist. If you can see More, by all means, do so. Most Highly Recommended.

Wow. Who would have thought the entire meaning of life could be summed up in 6 minutes. The greatest of this film is its greatest irony, considering it questions the worth of success based on material wealth. The piece fits its soundtrack (Elegia by New Order) excellent as well. It's a shame this short lost out in the 1998 Oscars, I'd like to think that the voters had a chance to see it before deciding (although they probably didn't.) A definite 10.