The Last Belle is a short 2D animated file directed by Neil Boyle. This animation really struck me because of its technique: each panel was drawn and painted completely by hand. This technique certainly has a raw charm to it and what Walter Benjamin refers to as ‘aura’. There is an organic feeling to hand drawn animation and as it is becoming somewhat of a lost art, I have a growing appreciation for it.
So, why do I love this animation? Firstly, the Character aesthetic is completely unique to what I have seen before. Rosie has a sad and desperate face with a long droopy nose and her blind date Wally is a lump of dough with two squishy eyes placed lopsidedly on the top of his head. To add to his pathetic exterior, he has 5 or 6 strands of hair sprouting out from the side of his head.
Exaggeration: the staging is very well executed with the help of exaggeration. In the image below, Wally has fallen asleep after drinking a ton of beer. To stage the scene with exaggeration, the camera angle is low and the sides of the room pull down towards the edges created what appears to be a hill of empty beer bottles.
Another example of exaggeration is when Wally is stumbling through the train station completely drunk. The walls, ceilings and floors begin to warp, twist and spin with a checkered pattern inviting the viewer to feel disoriented along with the character.
The costumes: Wally is probably everyone’s nightmare blind date; he is sloppy, unhygienic, lazy, drunk and has no sense of style. He steps out of his apartment wearing an orange hawaiian shirt with a purple tie. Of course, he loses these articles of clothing revealing an even sadder sight. Poor Wally.
Here is the film from youtube:
"The Last Belle' is the project I've used to bridge the gap between old and new. A chance not just to read about the 'old ways', but to try them all out for real, guided by veterans of the craft.The interesting next step is to combine the old with the new and see where it takes us…” - Neil Boyle
The Last Belle [Online] Available at: http://www.thelastbelle.com. (Accessed 06/11/15).
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