Madagascar, carnet de voyage

'MADAGASCAR, A JOURNEY DIARY': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

The weakest of the 2010 Oscar animated short films this one tells the story of a young man's visit to Madagascar in animated diary formant. It was written, directed and edited by Bastien Dubois. The film jumps around from one image to another with no real story. It really is like a scapbook put to animation but the animation is rather weak and unimpressive. The lack of story or any sort of direction whatsoever makes the movie kind of dull, in my opinion, and drawn-out (even at just 11 minutes). It does deserve some points for creativity and uniqueness and also for breaking all storytelling and film rules. An odd little movie I didn't enjoy but I'm sure will find happiness with some.

Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBqNUf10kuk

The idea for this movie is simple but the result is profound. A French video game programmer took a trip to Madagascar and then decided to share his trip with the world through an animated short. The sounds of Madagascar and its music are beautifully selected, and the visuals are breath-taking as well, but what pushes this movie into the realm of greatness is the fact that every scene is presented as if we're flipping through a scrap-book. The narrator/filmmaker wisely leaves out a lot of dialogue and narration and instead opts for showing us his drawings of what he found inspiring during his trip. The perspectives of each shot are always unexpected and are quick to shift, so that we are never for a second bored. As far as content goes, the filmmaker focuses on subjects that are full of heart, vibrant. We see vendors selling their wares, children playing, house- wives on their errands, dogs picking through trash, windsurfers and much more, all shown to the rhythm of a brisk stroll. And as if all of these treats weren't enough, our narrator/protagonist goes through an eerie but enlightening transformation. It's certainly a satisfying trip!

The movie is a journal of a man's visit to the island. Using a series of varying art styles (some of which appear to be a journal page coming to life), you see highlights of this trip.

I was shocked when I went onto IMDb to post this review. After all, after seeing a special screening of all the Academy Award-nominated animated shorts I thought it was a best in the very strong field of five. Yes, inexplicably its score is currently only 6.9--a score that would indicate that it's only an average film (yes, 6.9 is about average on IMDb--not 5.0). I don't get it--perhaps the non-traditional story or unusual animation put off some--I thought it was brilliant and if I were awarding the Oscar I'd give it to "Madagascar".

Why did I like it so? Well, the way the film so rapidly changed from one art style to another to yet another to yet another was a wonderful way for the artists to show off their skills. I didn't mind this bouncy style at all--but, interestingly, when I called my daughter to discuss the films (she is halfway across the country but we always go to these and then talk about them on the phone), she absolutely hated it. Her impression was that the film bounced so much that it made her eyes and brain hurt and she didn't like the story. Hyperactive me, I didn't mind any of this at all and liked that the story was not at all traditional and played more like a diary coming to life.

Hmmmm....so obviously my review didn't clear this up at all for you! If you don't mind a lot of bright images and a non-traditional story, then this is for you. If you occasionally get sensory overload and demand a clear story with a start and a finish, then you might be a bit disappointed. All I know is I loved it and was very, very impressed with the artistry. A moving film and my vote for best animated short.

UPDATE: I was surprised, but just moments ago I saw that "The Lost Thing" won the Oscar for Best Animated Short. To me, this was a surprise! I guess this helps illustrate that if I like a film, it's doomed!!

This uses a variety of animation styles to take us on a whistle-stop tour of Madagascar. Taking a quick coffee, we are invited to a "famadihana" - a sort of funeral ritual deep within the island. Using a lively original soundtrack, we are then whisked off in a coach taking in the towns and the sights around this huge island before being deposited amidst some farmland where a hillclimb takes us to a small village full of thatched-roof houses and friendly, smiling, people. We are here for this ceremony to commemorate a recently deceased lady. Rice and pork on the menu then a procession to her tomb where the emphasis is very much on joy tempered with respect. Meantime, some racoons are playfully enjoying the scene and the community continues it's daily routine as we proceed to explore the rest of this island, largely untouched for centuries. It has a little of the tourist video to it, this, but in an interesting and engaging fashion. The scenarios are sometimes animated, at other times static as if we were sending a postcard. The character detail can be specific or broad brush and that mixture of styles helps keep this vividly coloured feature interesting to watch for ten minutes.

The French school of animation is all about making money. Multiple state agencies have poured help into this piece of junk. And also typical of the French school of animation, there is no story, only a reinforcement of the old colonial thinking: the curious white man, the happy savages with their strange, yet so very humane reactions, all saying 'see? they're also human!' What is the point of this? The trip? But we are thrown into action from the first minute. Walking the dead ritual? But there is more. So much more for a short feature. The animation is an aberrant mix of animation techniques. Can they do all those? Wonderful. That should be their portfolio to get a job. It can be colorful or monochrome, but in a random way. Yet, the locals are speaking stereotype bad French.

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