Special Delivery

For what seems like the one millionth time, the National Film Board of Canada produced a cartoon that was either nominated for or won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. It seems like this government agency long sponsored and encouraged short films and I only recently discovered these gems. While I am sure there are some losers among them, I have been rather consistently impressed by the work--particularly the ultra-strange film THE BIG SNIT.

Here with SPECIAL DELIVERY is another ultra-strange and dark film. A man accidentally kills a postal worker and this oddly sets off a series of very unusual events--many of which are way too depressing to be seen in traditional animation. This, combined with the irreverent sense of humor make for a very enjoyable film.

By the way, there is a NAKED ANIMATION ALERT!! You'll see a tad of male frontal nudity here, but since the animation isn't the most realistic style, most probably will not be particularly offended.

Canadians have a way of twisting noir into humorous shapes.

This one does so both in the story, and more importantly in the way the world is drawn.

The story is an amazingly clever and entertaining journey of right turns. Its more noir than noir and the jags in the story are so extreme they're really funny.

But what makes this valuable is the way that the world, as drawn, complements this. As scenes change, parts of the world melt into and grow from each other. It is itself a series of unexpected causal linkages. See it. Its good.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

This gem of an animated short shows us what can go wrong when you forget to clear the snow and ice off of your stairs. A funny, nicely animated, wonderfully narrated short, and it's easy to see why it won an Oscar. A typically outstanding feature from Canada's National Film Board.

This short, which won a well deserved Academy Award, has got to be one of the most delightfully twisted cartoons I have seen in my life! Through a series of twists and turns so odd that it seems like a combination of Kafka and Hitchcock, we follow three people-a husband, his wife and the mailman-through a most eventful day for them all. It changes their lives most completely. Black humor runs throughout this absolute gem and it is delightfully funny! Though I wonder if the Canadian Postal union feels the same about this one! Most recommended!

Despite a darkly-humorous story and some moderately stylish (if unpolished) animation, 'Special Delivery' has yet to leave much of an impression on me. The main reason is something that's been praised in other comments on this site, the narration: it's so flat and descriptive that it undercuts, rather than enhances, the animation, and yet it's really unnecessary, supplying almost no information that isn't obvious in the animation itself. The character design, staging, and action are all competent, but add nothing to the story. The result is a cartoon which could just as easily have been a live-action short film, or even a short story, without losing anything.