Katedra

This film is absolutely amazing. This is one of those categorys at the Oscars you don't pay much attention to. When are you ever going to see any of these? Besides, I am hungry so forget this, I am going to the fridge. And I would have this year, had I not seen this truly stunning peace. A friend of mine went to college with the director of this movie. He told me about it and got a copy for me to view. Honestly, it is absolutely stunning and is by far the best computer animation I have ever seen. The thing is a mere 7 minutes long, yet it took more then 3 years to make. A true peace of art. If you can find this anywhere, take the time and enjoy it.

After seeing THE CATHEDRAL (KATEDRA), I looked on IMDb for reviews of this Oscar-nominated short and the first one dramatically proclaimed it was "robbed at the Oscars"--implying the winner should not have won. So, that encouraged me to see out the winner (with the bizarre and less than exciting title "THE CHUBBCHUBBS") and I'm convinced that the AMPAS people (the organization giving out the Oscars) did NOT screw up by not giving the award to THE CATHEDRAL. While THE CATHEDRAL was amazing to watch from a visual perspective, it really looked much more like a cut scene from a video game than an actual short film. Whereas the CHUBBCHUBBS was very funny and a complete narrative--with excellent animation, writing, voice acting, etc. Plus, when I dug further, I watched ALL the nominees and found that DAS RAD (another nominee that failed to win) was also much better than THE CATHEDRAL. In fact, for originality, DAS RAD definitely was supreme in this category.

Still, my advice is see them all--and perhaps the other Oscar nominees from the 2003 Oscars. They're lovely little short films--though ATAMA-YAMA might make your brain hurt since it's so very weird.

Anyone who's seen the new Star Wars movies, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, The Matrix Reloaded and other heavy-CGI films can attest that the animation rarely conveys scope or true majesty: when you can tell something is fake, it's hard to let it take your breath away. However, The Cathedral is truly the first CGI I've seen that's left me in awe. The plot is elegantly simple, in fact, everything about this movie is elegant, beautiful and haunting. This is what CGI should be. Either this or Das Rad deserved to win the Oscar for best Animated Short.

On a far distant planet stands a immense cathedral, seemingly derelict and lifeless. A solitary traveler stands before the crumbling columns, silently watching and waiting. The film leaves countless questions unanswered, its dialogue-free script allowing for the visuals and music to tell the story, and for the viewer to fill in the blanks. Where is this beautiful planet? Who is this lone traveler? Why has he made this pilgrimage to such a remote cathedral? Indeed, who actually built this cathedral, and for how long has it stood here?

Tomek Baginski's animated short film, 'Katedra / The Cathedral,' is a fascinating and visually-stunning journey into the unknown, and a philosophical exploration of the nature of religion. It is based upon Jacek Dukaj's short story of the same name, and was created using 3ds Max, a full-featured 3D graphics application developed by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. The CGI visuals, which allegedly took three years to produce, are nothing short of perfect, every frame as beautiful as the last. With no dialogue to speak of, 'Katedra' also relies heavily on its choice of music, and the steadily-building electronic track used during the film's climax is wonderfully rousing.

The conclusion itself is worthy of some discussion, though I'll stop short of giving away what actually happens. What could this ending actually be implying? That a religion is comprised solely of its believers? Could the pilgrim's faith have allowed him to become a part of something wonderful and glorious? This, of course, is without considering whether or not the traveler knew what was about to happen when the sun made its dazzling appearance. Whatever your interpretation, there's no denying that this film is simply a thing of beauty.

Awesome experience! This piece is not about the storyline. I feel that it's an artistic look-n-feel "tidbit" that was derived from the storyline. I found the official, authorized website dedicated to Jacek Dukaj writings, but cannot post the URL here without breaking policy. I believe that the character in this short is waiting for someone... who never shows up. He is already aware of some of the technology involved in the creation of the Cathedral, but not fully aware of it's programming details... and that's what leads to the conclusion of this piece. The Cathedral itself is made of "crysthorn" - some sort of algorithm-based organic rock(?) and houses a tomb and an alter! It resides on an asteroid which allowed the crysthorn to reach great heights due to decreased gravity. I wanted to post some quotes from the "teaser" I found on the website dedicated to Jacek Dukaj writings, but I will refrain in fear of violating policy. The character mentions a gazebo that he "grew" at his parent's house when he was 13. This gazebo was "grown" from a package of similar crysthorn seeds. Hope this was helpful to you, and piqued your curiosity even more. Have fun! Excellent CG experience! One discrepancy I must mention: In all scenes showing sky... the skies are fairly clear, except when the character approaches the massive building and looks up. The sky is completely overcast! A very dramatic effect, but ruins the continuity.