Easily one of the best short, animated films of 2008 is the environmentally conscious “Varmints.”
Beautifully filmed in a Pixar-esque manner, this short animation gives viewers intense moods and sets the tone of the story through the use of color, style of animation and musical score versus the spoken word.
“Varmints” was written and directed by the famed animation artist Marc Craste, who is known for his earlier film “Jojo in the Stars,” which has a similar style of animation and dark tone, and it was produced by Sue Goffe.
The touching story begins with a varmint of sorts walking in an expansive field. He is the animal equivalent of a human environmentalist, as he inspects plants with a magnifying glass and gently touches their leaves. His love for the earth is displayed with his bright and gentle disposition.
Suddenly, a flock of birds frantically fly above, and away from a dark cloud that is growing larger and closer. The cloud is composed of dark varmints pulling long black ropes attached to tall, dirty buildings and skyscrapers. The protagonist’s sadness grows as the reality of destruction sets in.
These “other” varmints are different from him; bearing dark, stringy hair and sickly colored skin. As they move, their cloud overtakes the beautiful meadow and turns it to paved stone. The good-hearted varmint is quick enough to clip off a piece of a tree before it is destroyed. He puts it into his bag, along with some dirt, and heads into the darkening city.
Walking through the wide alleyways, the protagonist sees the “others” in a line together, mundanely trudging through their meager existence. This way of life deeply saddens the good varmint, but convinces him to follow suit. He quickly finds a room to live within a dark dull building stocked with nothing more than a dingy cot and a desk. Soon he decides to plant the branch that was plucked from the tree and devotes all his time to maintaining its health.
As the days go on, the smoke stacks grow taller as billowing black smoke ascends from their openings. The “other” varmints begin developing sickness and some even drop dead in the streets from the dense air. Amidst this darkness there is a tender love story between the varmint and another of his kind (from before the cloud came) that lightens the mood and gives hope.
The animation is absolutely breathtaking, and makes you wonder how people have such grandiose imaginations.
Although “Varmints” was snubbed at the Oscars and instead five other equally amazing shorts were nominated with the French-style nominee “La Maison En Petits Cubes” taking the golden stature, this short is not to be missed. Its social commentary is similar to that of “Wall-E,” and although there is no speaking during the duration of this 12-minute film, the expressive music is enough to portray the grandness of the theme.
Check out this film and other renowned short films at www.shortsinternational.com.
