There has been no shortage of CGI, PhotoRealistic RenderMan animations of late… the world’s awash with them. If you, like me, have a yearning for something more old school on occasions, then maybe this flick is for you; a beautifully hand drawn and painted animation from the directing partnership of Sandra and Paul Fierlinger.
The storyline is a British classic – the relationship between man and dog. The film takes its inspiration from a book written back in 1956 that ruminates on the love between the author, JR Ackerley and his unruly Alsatian, Tulip. It’s a gentle and heart warming tale of how a quirky intellectual such as Ackerley makes sense of the ups and downs of man and beast living in close quarters.
At a count of 60,000 drawings in total – it was no mean fete, taking the pair a total of 3 years to produce (7 days a week and no holidays!). Paul Fierlinger has confessed to drawing 12 – 16 hours a day… now that’s dedication. There are some familiar voices in tow, a must for all animations nowadays, expect to hear Christopher Plummer, the late Lynn Redgrave, and Isabella Rossellini. With this production using no paper throughout, its even eco-friendly – need we say more? (Words: Laura Thornley)
In cinemas now.
