The Rise of Independent Animation

“Flow” (photo) by director Gints Zilbalodis was produced in Latvia with a budget of only 3.7 million USD. The story of “Flow” simply revolves around the animal world and is wordless. However, “Flow” has done many unimaginable things. The revenue at the theater exceeded 10 times the production budget, the film almost won all important categories of animated films at the major awards such as Golden Globe and Oscar. This is also the first Latvian film in history to win an Oscar. Sharing about the success of “Flow”, director Gints Zilbalodis said: “I am really touched by everyone's warm reception. With “Flow”, I hope the film will open the door for independent animators around the world”.

The victory of “Flow” has made many people reconsider the value of independent animated films. Independent films do not have large budgets, simple special effects, do not need famous actors to dub, simple content but have their own appeal. For example, “Memoir of a Snail”, an independent animated film from Australia. “Memoir of a Snail” was directed by Adam Elliot in the style of stop motion - still life animation, combined with the genre of dark humor. Unlike animated films that often paint a rosy story, “Memoir of a Snail” brings the harsh reality of the adult world. It is the journey of clinging to life of twin sisters Grace and Gilbert, who were separated when their parents passed away in the 1970s.

Similarly, “The Most Precious of Cargoes” by director Michel Hazanavicius does not paint life in a rosy light. Michel Hazanavicius’ animated world depicts life with many unavoidable things and pains to overcome. “The Most Precious of Cargoes” is based on a short story by Jean-Claude Grumberg, set during the Holocaust. A lumberjack couple risked their lives to save a newborn baby thrown off a train to the Nazi regime’s Auschwitz concentration camp. Michel Hazanavicius shared that he could have made a live-action film with this content but chose animation because he felt that animation was a more honest approach.

In fact, almost all independent animated films often choose stories for adults. There, the films will be tinged with more realism and pain, such as "Waltz with Bashir" about the 1982 Lebanon war, "Persepolis" about the journey of growing up of an Iranian girl during the Islamic Revolution...

On the other hand, independent animated films require a great deal of creativity from the filmmakers. A typical example is the way French director Michel Gondry focuses on making homemade animated films. Michel Gondry created the absurd fantasy story “Maya, Give Me a Title” based on the titles his young daughter Maya gave him. For example, the title “Maya in the Sea with a Bottle of Ketchup” suggested the story of a young girl trying to stop the bottle from polluting the world’s oceans. At the same time, Michel Gondry used colorful paper cutout animation to create the film, a technique that dates back to 1926. This technique was used in Lotte Reiniger’s “The Adventures of Prince Achmed,” the oldest animated feature film in existence today. Meanwhile, two filmmakers Stephen and Timothy Quay preferred to use stop-motion and puppets to make “Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass.”

It can be seen that the creativity of independent animators always brings newness, giving the work its own identity, attracting viewers.

BAO LAM (Synthesized from The Guardian, South China Morning Post)

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/su-troi-day-cua-phim-hoat-hinh-doc-lap-a185701.html