Paperman

Another Disney related post... sorry guys.

I had the pleasure of watching Paperman today. I had heard awesome things about it and finally got the chance to sit down and enjoy it.   Paperman is a short, black and white animated Disney film.

I appreciated this film for a ton of reasons.  First of all, I really took time to appreciate how the black and white shading of the film affected how the story was told, since our first project is being shot in black and white.  It really added a "classic" aspect to the film.   It helped stray away from when the story took place.  With the exception of some telephones that were a little "old fashioned", it was difficult to tell when the story took place.  Everyone was dressed in business/work attire, which also remains relatively the same among generations.  

Next thing I noticed was the use of many different aspect ratios we discussed in class.  I noticed a lot of the "Golden Ratio" being put to use.  A lot of the shots were very aesthetically pleasing.  Since this is animated, the animator has true control over where everything is placed.  One of the first shots in the filmed shows aspect ratios... 

See?

And probably the thing I appreciated most about this- the relationship between Paperman and Mickey The Sorcerer's Apprentice.  I liked how there was a relationship in the sense that there was life given to inanimate objects.  It was definitely cool to see a reference to an old Disney film. 

Lastly, the amount of characterization to a person who isn't even real.  I never stop being amazed at how characters that are animated touch my heart so close.  This film tells a compelling story, without dialogue, but through emotions of animated characters. 

Needless to say- I really enjoyed Paperman. Job well done. 

Paperman

No I'm not talking about the 2009 movie Paper Man starring Ryan Reynolds. I'm talking about the short animated movie that is shown before the animated film Wreck-It Ralph. The other week I had a blog post about Wreck-It Ralph so for this week I want to talk a bit about the short movie that went before it.

Paper Man is a seven minute film about a man and a woman, two strangers, who bump into each other at the train station on their way to work. They have a very brief encounter and then before the man knows it, she's gone. What happens next is a very simple story that is told in a not so conventional way. The filmmakers did an absolutely amazing job creating a beautifully told story in such a simple way.

The movie has no dialogue and it is completely action driven. Director John Karhs did a really great job at creating a piece that tell so much with so little. The two characters are instantly likable and you really want things to work out for them in the end.

The biggest emotional draw for this movie however; is the music. The music in this short is possibly the best I've ever heard in anything. It's a five minute piece by Christophe Beck and it's what makes this short so emotional. Every note hits at exactly the right moment to make you emotionally engaged in the short.

In all honestly I would recommend seeing Wreck-It Ralph just to see this short alone, although Wreck-It Ralph also a really great movie. You definitely won't regret it.