The two short films I liked most at the Panorama 2 screening were traditionally animated “Chicken Wings”, by German director Pauline Kortmann and also 2D animation “Zoologic”, US film directed by Nicole Mitchell.

I loved the three main characters design and movements in “Chicken Wings” and I didn’t miss the colour in this black and white only animation. The cowgirl, the werewolf and the chicken are drawn with a really nice cartoon style, which sometimes allows you to see the sketches underneath. I also enjoyed its sense of humour, which again, as in “Post!”, was perfectly conveyed without the need of dialogue.

“Zoologic” did have colour, and its thin-lined drawings were very tender and likable, catching the characters and environments essentials just in a few lines. The story about the strict zookeeper and the animals he takes care of is also plenty of funny situations supported by a sound effects soundtrack with no dialogue.

The other screenings were just alright. I liked the absurd sense of humour of the “How to destroy the world” series in the episode about rubbish, an effective means to criticise our society defects, supported by a simple 2D animation style.



“The swimming lesson” presented a nice blend of 2D, 3D and cut-out animation to show Jonas’ first visit to the swimming pool from his point of view. Jonas’ fears are well depicted thanks to this constant use of the first person perspective.

Taku Kimura’s “Kudan” is a 3D short film about these Japanese monsters, which have the body of a cow and a human head. I wasn’t too excited about the design style but I admit the animation was well accomplished. Its last minutes rhythm succeeded in transmitting the main character’s terror when his son’s life is in danger.


A bit macabre, a bit funny, “Keith Reynolds can’t make it tonight” turns to traditional, simple stick-men based animation and third person narrator to explain Keith Reynolds’ longed-for Promotion Day at the office. But things don’t go as he expected… I liked the narration’s humour better than the animation itself. The narrator would recount the characters ludicrous and reprehensible actions with surprising serenity, and so, combined with the simplistic drawings, makes you less sensitive to the ongoing drama. This resource, though, makes it difficult to sympathize with the character.



“The Tell-Tale Heart”, based on the homonymous Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, was 2D animation. Though its comic drawing style isn’t one of my favourites, it looked better when animated. The exaggeration of the main character’s physique and movements made him quite credible, as so was his madness.


The French short “Boby the Zombie”, about the funny outcome of a zombie’s date with a human girl, the British films “Crescendo”, about the secret practices of a farmer woman, and “Codswallop”, a series of brief visions on several characters surrealistic instants rolling along the screen, were, from my point of view, the weak points of the projection.