disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

[Slamdance 2020] ANIMATION OUTLAWS -- A Loving Tribute to Some Influential Figures

1/23/2020

0 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
The directorial debut of filmmaker Kat Alioshin, Animation Outlaws is a new documentary made for anyone who is a fan of animated films. Featuring interviews with numerous recognizable figures within the field of animation, this is an entertaining and creatively-told documentary that effectively pays loving homage to its subjects.

The movie tells the story of Spike Decker and Mike Gribble, two friends who came together to start Spike & Mike’s Festival of Animation, a roadshow that honored the best in animated filmmaking before the internet made the medium more widely accessible. Ultimately, Alioshin tells this story in a way that, while narratively straightforward, serves as a compelling underdog story.

Over the course of the film, Alioshin traces the life of Decker and Gribble’s tours and explores the impact they had on both the artists whose work was showcased there and the people who were in the audience at the roadshows. Even though this story is very entertaining, there is ultimately too much to be told in such a short period of time. At less than an hour and fifteen minutes long, the movie certainly could have spared to be a bit longer.

That said, Alioshin does an excellent job of presenting the subjects in a way that will be intensely sympathetic to the audience. In many ways, the film is at its best when it is an ode to Decker and Gribble. At times, it does start to feel like some of the interviews are leaning a bit too heavily on the nostalgia of the situation, but for the most part, it is a sweet and loving tribute.

Picture
However, undeniably Alioshin’s greatest success with the movie was in assembling a large group of Festival of Animation alumni to serve as subjects for interviews. Among the interviewees featured in the film are such prominent animators as Pete Docter (Inside Out), Seth Green (Robot Chicken), and Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit). The fact that so many of the interviewees are well-respected lends the movie an even greater sense of legitimacy.

Although the film is admittedly very heavy on talking-head interviews, Alioshin shoots them in a way that is aesthetically pleasing and entertaining. Instead of placing them against a solid background as is standard, Alioshin shows animated shorts behind the person who is talking, and surprisingly enough, this isn’t particularly distracting.

The documentary also contains original animated sequences that tell the story of Decker and Gribble as they work to organize and promote their shows. Set to a voiceover by Decker (Gribble unfortunately passed away in 1994), these scenes emphasize the friendship between the two central figures, and as a result, are very heartwarming and fun.

With Animation Outlaws, director Kat Alioshin takes a familiar documentary style and turns it on its head, delivering a tribute that is meaningful and entertaining. This is a crowd-pleasing documentary in every sense of the word.

Animation Outlaws is screening at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival which runs January 24-30 in Park City, UT.

Rating: 4.5/5

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Dan Skip Allen
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About