Thus we enter into a chase with the thief (trying to steal the treasure) and the royal knights. This movie has a nice barrage of humor throughout. The animation here is very good, watch the horses jumping the perilous ravine (there’s a lot of them). Then watch the disturbed barnyard chickens. They’re not just moving that way because they’re happy. They certainly don’t want to get run over. But the barnyard cow and pig stand still because they’re LAZY. This attention to detail is nice.

I’ve always heard of the cow jumping over everything else…not the other way around. As the chase goes on, everyone meets up in one cave. Think of a long race where everyone who sees you must follow you. The thief, all of the kings men, and the man being chased by three crocodiles. Watch this scene again and notice the whole landscape move as all of the people together are in the cave-then instantly try to get back out. This piece is hilarious-and now they’re all being chased by a dragon- a scene reminiscent of Looney Tunes.

Everything in this piece is fast and furious-the music chosen fits the movie well. It is a grand and merry chase for the movie ends as all good movies end…the villain is caught and the world is safe from the beast. For awhile anyway…
(Jared)

Why is it good animation? The scene where the barber is repeatedly fastening the bib around people’s necks to keep the hair off is fast and methodical, much like how he keeps the scissors moving so fast, you can only see one of the blades. Many go into the shop to get good hair-cuts. Nice time fades as the people enter and leave the shop, relying on situations to make you laugh (more on this later). The fountain was one of my favorite places. The sidewalk has a nice pattern and the water coming out of the fountain is clear LEGO bricks! Another cool effect is the wizard scene, leaving a whole lot of money so he doesn’t look so scruffy anymore. 

Why is it good cinematography? You know when you build a nice set to animate on, you have to show it off. The sidewalk I mentioned earlier is the set I would most likely show off-look for the sky pan shot of the nice pattern, the fountain for the center. The beginning and end have the most varying shots, the middle tends to stay in the shop-this is where most of the action is. The sunlight in the beginning is a nice animation close to reality. The sunlight does creep over the floor before it wakes you up. As for walking to work, the road feels like it goes on and on due to the camera following close behind the barber. As for the end-nice positioning of the camera in the foliage. We’re right in the thick(et) of things, watching the barber go about his business. Every shot is well placed for the development of the plot.

Finally-Why is it a good film? What really pulls this film together is its humor and timing. Wanderer and Mr. Z have made a barber shop next to a Wig shop. What for, you might ask? Why does the barber stare carelessly out the window at the most crucial time? Thomas Foote said his timing for something to be funny is four seconds (Big Match). It works in this film as well, just about four seconds before we see what happens to the lady. And maybe the most funny thing-who goes into a barber shop hairless and comes out with hair? Great animation, nice cinematography, and a humorous plot make this the Best Film of the Classical Movie Contest.
(Jared)

My favorite part of this short is the stare down scene. The teacher beckons the student to mimic his movements and rewinds the record to the place where he should start. Student stands up and looks at the teacher. There’s a close up of the student’s face and his head is cocked at a questioning angle. The next shot is of the teacher, standing rigid, close up of his face. Then the camera shifts back to the student (can you feel the tension rising?) and closes in on his face again-you get the idea. Just like a Conan O’Brien and Andy stare down. Spectacularly, this scene shows the best emotion of “I’m not doing that” without uttering a word. Time has moved on during the stare down, the music has kept going. Zoom in on the teacher as he starts to rewind the record again back to the spot, then the sky angle of an empty room behind him.
Some inventive camera shots made this a good nomination for Best Cinematography.
(Jared)

While the boat is on the water, we see a man get into full scuba gear and dive into the sea. We don’t get a cheesy minifig floating in a cup, but we DO get a minifig in the sea. The backdrop of blue baseplates is a nice example of how lego can be used instead of its real-life counterpart. I like shots from above. They help illustrate the depth of a scene because it shows more. When the diver exits the sea via a pool in the middle of a public place there is a strategic sky shot showing this. I liked this shot a lot, and I especially enjoyed the animation of the water “bubbling” at his ascent.

This is a quick, cool movie encompassing some simple animation techniques to make a briefcase’s life a little more interesting.
(Jared)

As the ship crash lands, there’s nothing better than catching the actual footage of the model falling. We are greeted with the sounds of smashing legos plus the music is at a crescendo, adding to the effect. The best animation here is in Fett’s ship landing. This painstaking feat was done with string (and took several tries no doubt) to get the image that the ship is in mid air. Finally, the battle between the pharaoh and Boba Fett is well synchronized. When Fett twirls his lightsaber before turning it on, then Pharaoh unleashes his red killing cylinder, right up to the fall of Boba, we see the fluid animation this movie was nominated for.  This short is a great marriage of two formats, and has a nice quick plot to it. Love Your Enemies!
(Jared)