More

Directed by Mark Osborne

"More (1998)," an Academy Award-nominated stop action short, is one of the more brilliant films I've seen recently. The short follows a humanoid creature who works at a factory that produces "Get Happy" products, which seems like a useless product save for its bright yellow smiling face that stands out against the dreary, monochromatic urban world that he inhabits. Amidst his days that consist of journeying to and from work, where all the other inhabitants on the public transportation system look identical, our protagonist discovers a glowing power that is literally contained within him and uses this as inspiration to create a new-and-improved "Get Happy" product.

While this theme of an individual inhabiting a dystopian world that is representative of our own isn't particularly original, the short is still immensely powerful and resonant, which is particularly astounding considering that this takes place within a six-minute running time. Osborne makes particularly powerful use of contrasting colors, from the dystopian dullness of the "real" world to the vibrant colors of our protagonist's imagination, and the excellent synthesizer score further enhances this world's menace. I was surprised to discover that Osborne is the director of "Kung Fu Panda," which initially looked like a typical, crappy Dreamworks production. But if that man can make such brilliant work in a short, I'm certainly interested to see what he can do with a feature-length animated film.

Rating: 9.5

(Note: Click on the picture to be linked to a video of the short.)
Second Viewing: 6/13/08
IMDB Page