Synopsis
A humorous and thought-provoking view of what animals in zoos might be thinking about their captivity and surroundings.
A humorous and thought-provoking view of what animals in zoos might be thinking about their captivity and surroundings.
衣食住行, В мире животных, Interviste mai viste, L'Avis des animaux, Pohodlíčko
So the story goes: all voices provided were people being interviewed and the creators put that to claymation models, building a short story around it?
Is there a proper word to describe that level of genius? Okay, Wallace & Gromit will always be special to me, but this absolutely deserves the Oscar.
There's an old saying I've heard passed around and it's fitting here: Innovation is born out of limitation. As much as I enjoy a lot of the newer CGI-fests coming out these days, they have too much to work with. Imagination is gone.
With a project like this, imagination is everything to them. I'm not saying graphic design doesn't take talent, because it does, but this right here is a lost art. Starting from an idea, and building every single piece from scratch: that's beautiful artistry.
I imagine most other movies with a "zoos are pretty crappy" message would be way less entertaining and way more depressing.
"They're reasonably comfortable, I suppose, this place, but, ah, ah, I mean, I've been in more comfortable rooms, yes."
Some days you just need something comforting to watch.
"I feel very secure. I'm well looked after, very well looked after, and I've... I'm not worried about anything. I know, whatever happens, they look after me and put me where I ought to be."
I watched this when I was a kid on vacation. It came on at midnight and completely transported me. I love it. The lion in particular. What stuck out to me then and now is how quiet and slow it is. Most of the noise is ambient sound. Everything echos. It FEELS like you’re at a public zoo designed in the late 70s.
Available on YouTube! Shortly before the arrival of Wallace & Gromit's debut, A Grand Day Out, Claymation storyteller Nick Park made his first impression on international audiences with the Oscar-winning short Creature Comforts. I used to watch it all the time when I was a kid since I owned it on VHS packaged with three other Aardman Animations mini-productions: Adam, Not Without My Handbag (which frightened me terribly) and Wat's Pig. Park takes real soundbites of British citizens discussing their lives and places the audio in the mouths of animals to express their feelings about zoos. In a brief five minutes, you'll fall in love with these adorable creatures. Truly mockumentary filmmaking at its finest!
Brilliant animation but the real magic comes from knowing that none of the dialogue was scripted, it is all taken from interviews with people who are unhappy with their lives.
I love stories from the past that feel more relevant to the modern day than the time they were created.
The origin point of a long-running, beloved English mockumentary series, Creature Comforts is a take on "vox pop"-style interviews, where non-actors candidly respond to interview prompts. In this case, UK citizens talk about their lives and homes, and these are reworked into the context of animals at the zoo. These exchanges cover a variety of perspectives, from a gorilla and lion who are depressed with their confinement and the chilly, damp conditions of England, to other critters who enjoy the comfort and safety of their pens. It's a cute experience, flush with expressive animation, and it offers a lot of sharp insights on the "comforts" of western civilization.