The Sandman
- 1991
- 10m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
Upstairs, in the moonlit and empty room, a little boy scared of the dancing shadows, encounters a figment of his vivid imagination: the horrible Sandman.Upstairs, in the moonlit and empty room, a little boy scared of the dancing shadows, encounters a figment of his vivid imagination: the horrible Sandman.Upstairs, in the moonlit and empty room, a little boy scared of the dancing shadows, encounters a figment of his vivid imagination: the horrible Sandman.
- Director
- Writer
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 2 nominations total
Featured reviews
Easy to define it as creepy short animation. Obvious, too easy.
In fact, a smart crafted, scene by scene, story , using memories from our children about monsters under bed, defining the poverty in precise terms, like the darkness fear of child , reminding old fashion shadows in room and , not last, the parent care for his children.
The Sandman is almost a hypnotic presence and the food for its kids symbolic at whole.
In same measure, fists of clues, from drum of boy to clock and the last kiss of mother for her baby and the loneliness in a too large room. And, sure, the moon.
Dark story, admirable crafted, wise used .
In fact, a smart crafted, scene by scene, story , using memories from our children about monsters under bed, defining the poverty in precise terms, like the darkness fear of child , reminding old fashion shadows in room and , not last, the parent care for his children.
The Sandman is almost a hypnotic presence and the food for its kids symbolic at whole.
In same measure, fists of clues, from drum of boy to clock and the last kiss of mother for her baby and the loneliness in a too large room. And, sure, the moon.
Dark story, admirable crafted, wise used .
I saw this in one of the Spike & Mike festivals years ago & would say that this is probably my all time fave short. Very simple & short, but quite devastating. I have been trying to track this down on DVD..... The story of the creator is tragic, had he lived longer, I'm sure he would have rocked the animation world. The story is the classic, oft told tale of a kid afraid to go to bed because of what might lurk under his bed. It is told (if i remember correctly) without proper dialogue (I think there are mutterings by the characters, but not of an intelligible language). I assumed from the dark tone & detailed sets & figures that this one came from Eastern Europe, but was quite surprised to find it was not the case. Think Quay brothers, but with real characters in clay & in color.
The Sandman is every child's nightmare- going to bed with a unknown horror lurking in the shadows. Paul Berry directed this animated screamer, and the characters are Tim Burton-esquire in the design. (Not surprising, as a few years later Paul worked on the Nightmare before Christmas with Tim) The film is very short, clocking in at a mere ten minutes, but it's disturbing enough to play a part in your nightmares. This film may seem to be aimed at children, as a young boy is the main character and it's a animation, but beware against showing it to any child below the age of about ten. Even that might be pushing it, as we watched this film in our Year 8 English class and we were still sufficiently creeped out.
The film starts off happily enough, just before the boy's bedtime. When he makes his way up to his bed, he enters the world of the Sandman.
The trippy '92 animation only adds to the atmosphere and the music is pure genius- a chord sounds every time he takes a step.
Several false alarms lead you to believe that maybe all is well and the Sandman will not be visiting that night. Unfortunately, not all stories have a happy ending.
A slight criticism- was it really necessary for the Sandman to dance? And the weird elbow thing- it made it more laughable which didn't set in with the mood of the film.
Therefore, I give this film 9/10.
The film starts off happily enough, just before the boy's bedtime. When he makes his way up to his bed, he enters the world of the Sandman.
The trippy '92 animation only adds to the atmosphere and the music is pure genius- a chord sounds every time he takes a step.
Several false alarms lead you to believe that maybe all is well and the Sandman will not be visiting that night. Unfortunately, not all stories have a happy ending.
A slight criticism- was it really necessary for the Sandman to dance? And the weird elbow thing- it made it more laughable which didn't set in with the mood of the film.
Therefore, I give this film 9/10.
10Rainy-3
This was a fantastic short film that I had the pleasure of seeing at the Mill Avenue Animation Festival in Tempe, AZ in 1992. This film is a great combination of spooky, cute, suspenseful, and freaky. While it reminds me of Tim Burton, it is more genuine. The story plays like an Edgar Allen Poe work, in that it is simple and to the point, while leaving a lasting mark. The animation is very Edward Gory, mixing cartoonish elements with the macabre. This piece is definitely on a different page than other animation, and I find myself thinking about it much more than should be demanded by a short film, and I would love the opportunity to see it again. Stop motion is usually very hit or miss for me, and in this case it is a dead on hit.
If it hadn't been for MONA LISA DESCENDING THE STAIRS, there's a very strong chance that THE SANDMAN would have won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film--it was that striking and groundbreaking. Paul Berry created a stop motion world very similar to his later projects such as THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE Christmas and JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. While the animation is not quite as fluid here in this early film, you can clearly see that it led to these very successful Disney films. Sadly, Barry died at age 40 and his output was quite limited.
So what did I like about this film? Well, the character designs were amazing and the sets had a strange and twisted quality that was both charming and creepy. As for the story, I am probably in the minority here, it was really good up until the surprise ending. I thought it was too creepy and disturbing and knocked the film from a 9 to an 8--this is certainly NOT a film to show to young and impressionable kids. Of course, for an older crowd, they'll probably love the sick finale. Watch it and see for yourself.
This is an exceptional and brilliant film.
So what did I like about this film? Well, the character designs were amazing and the sets had a strange and twisted quality that was both charming and creepy. As for the story, I am probably in the minority here, it was really good up until the surprise ending. I thought it was too creepy and disturbing and knocked the film from a 9 to an 8--this is certainly NOT a film to show to young and impressionable kids. Of course, for an older crowd, they'll probably love the sick finale. Watch it and see for yourself.
This is an exceptional and brilliant film.
Did you know
- TriviaThe source material comes from the short horror story "Der Sandmann", written by E. T. A. Hoffmann (best known for writing the novella "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", on which the famous Tchaikovsky ballet is based.) In it the protagonist has an aside conversation with an old woman, who relates details about the "real" Sandman's nature and habits that diverge sharply (and ghoulishly) from the character as he is traditionally depicted in European folklore. Her description of the Sandman appears as the antagonist in this animated short.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Cartoon Sushi: Episode #1.3 (1997)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Песочный человек
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $92,080
- Gross worldwide
- $92,080
- Runtime10 minutes
- Color
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