by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Welcome to The Short List! Each month, I treat you to a collection of short films. Hopefully this list will inspire you to check out some of these gems…
The Simpsons: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Disney+)
Sideshow Bob is one of the most delightfully sinister recurring characters on one of television’s longest running shows, The Simpsons. Voiced by the devilishly classy and intelligent Kelsey Grammer, whose timber of voice is certainly iconic. He is the perfect character to center a Halloween short around for the season. Grammer is known for his crooning voice, and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year finds him leading a villainous ensemble as they take this classic Christmas song and turn it into a fun villainous anthem. This short is only a couple of minutes and lacks depth, but it is a catchy song sung by a worthy ensemble. The rich depth of Disney villains is on display here, with even Marvel and Star Wars antagonists making appearances. The visual gags and homages (even in the credits) are worth the limited investment to watch.
Sing: Thriller (Netflix)
Michael Jackson’s (and iconic film actor Vincent Price) “Thriller” is one of the most iconic Halloween tunes of all time. It is the perfect song for the Sing crew to tackle, as Garth Jennings and the rest of the big-named cast come back for an entertaining musical endeavor. The animation holds up, and this franchise gets a fresh entry on the small screen. The troop does a great job of creating a reimagining of the classic “Thriller” video with a talented ensemble of voices who bring the song to life. But there is bonus content with zombified animals and a fun rendition of the iconic “Thriller” dance. Even with some expected and underwhelming twists, this is still a good time with great music.
The Bad Guys: The Haunted Heist (Netflix)
Are you ready for another animated cinematic ensemble to get the short film treatment? The Bad Guys were back already with an underwhelming Christmas special last year, but this new Halloween special captures the spirit of the movie and does well to capture that spooky feel for the holiday season. The original film’s voice cast is sorely missed, but the characters capture the great charm and group dynamics that made the film so good. This Haunted Heist setup makes for funny and spooky revelations (even if they are predictable). They get the right tone of these “bad” friends messing around with each other and taking on some supernatural phenomena (or are they?). There is slapstick comedy and action which made the film so much fun as well.
LOUDER: The Soundtrack of Change (Max)
How powerful can music truly be? This new documentary short film, LOUDER, explores that idea, looking at songs and musicians who had a bigger message behind the art and changed music forever. For a film that is just around 60 minutes, tons of real estate is covered. There are great performers like Chaka Khan, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and plenty more who discuss their works which have transcended the enjoyment of the art form and have made impacts on society. Director Kristi Jacobson and producer Selena Gomez express the bravery and energy embedded in such works and how influential music can truly be. This has a great pace, and still captures so much of the meaning and impact of this mosaic of influential pieces of music art.
Antediluvian (YouTube)
With only four minutes and a bunch of dinosaurs, writer/director Mario Lanzas does some impressive things with his latest animated short film, Antediluvian, which never utters a single line of dialogue or exposition. This is a great example of pure cinema and how music and visuals can weave a compelling narrative without the help of dialogue. This paleoart experiment takes a specific visual design of hand-drawn animation to show the evolution of dinosaurs up to the point of their mass extinction. The textures and weight in the drawings are incredible to look at. It’s impressive to see the animal designs, and their way of moving is even more impressive. Antediluvian is a gorgeous looking film that tells a timeless tale in a limited window of time.
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