Ten Playful Films to Inspire Our Inner Kiddo

Sat August 16 @ 6pm - 1326 W Hollywood Ave

“How many colors are there in the field of grass to the crawling baby unaware of green? How many rainbows can light create for the untutored eye?” - Stan Brakhage, Metaphors on Vision

When we are children, the rules of the world, the traditions and norms are as foreign to us as anything else, and our childlike creativity expresses this sense of movement before we learn to restrain ourselves. Later, as we learn how things work, that inner child goes to sleep, and often art and creativity are the only times when they can come out to play. These ten films will delight and dazzle, reaching for a sense of creativity that is open and unbounded, but not sacrificing the complex joys of animation itself - these films take playtime seriously. Some feature meticulous frame by frame editing, others are made with crayons and colored pencils on notecards, but all of them strive to awaken that sense of expanded creativity we all have as children, though adults may need a reminder from time to time. 

This program is suitable and designed for the enjoyment of all ages. Please feel free to bring your parents or your kids to the show with you. 

Special thanks to Chicago Film Archives.

Lineup:

1 - Dot-To-Dot Cartoon Cartoon (1990, JP Somersaulter & Lillian Somersualter-Moats, 7m)

A waggish animation about connecting the dots, this film takes the viewer on a fanciful journey through the mind and imagination of JP. Using cut-out and additive animation with madcap sound effects, Somersaulter-Moats and Somersaulter follow a cartoonified JP as he talks about connecting dots both literal and metaphorical. 

2 - Genius of Love (1981, Cucumber Studios/Tom Tom Club, 3m)

Animated music video of the Tom Tom Club, made by Cucumber Studios in collaboration with the bandmates themselves. Features eye-popping effects drawn by hand with markers, colored pencils, and crayons.  

3 - Baby Up-Chuck (1981, Wendy Hershey, 1m)

A short fictional advertisement for a doll that behaves like a human baby in one specific way: regularly spitting up food. 

4 - Hand (1982, Deanna Morse, 5m)

An animated film originally drawn entirely on 3x5 notecards, made in a workshop with Robert Breer, showing a hand traced over and over, moving continuously. 

5 - River Lethe (1985, Amy Kravitz, 7m)

An abstract animation drawn with charcoal, this film explores the “river of dreams” we cross as we journey to the otherside of consciousness. Radiating curves, shapes and storms of thought cascade onscreen, as the abstract reveals a portal into another world. 

6 - Euphoria (1974, Vince Collins, 3m)

This psychedelic fever dream is like if a Dr Seuss book came to life and did some wild drugs. Each moment feels clear and crisp and within seconds it is transformed into some other cartoon figure, forever leaving us on the edge of figuring it out. 

7 - Jumping (1984, Osamu Tezuka, 7m)

We see the world from the perspective of someone who seemingly has the ability to jump around, almost as if on a pogo stick, across landscapes, through cities, dodging birds, in people’s houses, narrowly missing airplanes. A delightfully fun ride. 

8 - Rockers (1990, Ed Counts, 4m)

An accumulation of living room sketches transforms into a rhythmic stream of consciousness; a love story that flows across time and space. 

9 - Phases (1977, Henry Selick, 4m)

Elemental creatures enact a ritual cycle of chase, flight and conflict. Animals morph between predator and prey, hawk and snake, tiger and horse. A student film by the artist who would go on to make Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline. 

10 - Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969, Marv Newland, 2m)

Two icons from different cinematic universes face off in the ultimate battle. Who will win? 

Total Runtime: 43m