Arkelope; Planes, Trains and Automania; Wacky Musical Stories Too!

Extinction happens. In fact, critters have been doing the final nose dive for millions of years...but during the last few thousand, some have gotten a little nudge from the hand of man. Arkelope, a 6-minute animated fable from National Film Board director Roslyn Schwartz, uses the framing device of a channel-surfing, mostly brain-dead, middle-aged couple who keep returning to a nature documentary on the history of the arkelope. Having withstood whatever wiped out the dinos and all manner of flood, famine, and plagues, the late 20th-century arkelope has been reduced to safari bait and handbags and stands on the brink of extinction. But while the film initially shares the deadpan humor of classic NFB shorts, Arkelope comes up short at the end with a "twist" ending that is neither very surprising nor imaginative. Elementary schools might consider for a discussion on endangered species, but for others a nearly $100 short that isn't superb is an optional purchase, at best. For ages 7 and up.Better deals are two compilations aimed at all age groups from the NFB itself, Planes, Trains and Automania and Wacky Musical Stories Too!. The former opens with the beautiful model-animated "The Balgonie Birdman," an inspired ode to Canadian turn of the century inventor Bill Gibson's efforts to build a flying machine (with an underlying message of the importance of following one's dream). The next piece, "Trawna Tuh Belvul," is an artistic triumph, skillfully mixing cut-out animation with Earle Birney's stream of consciousness poem celebrating the many sights and sounds of a train ride through the eyes of a conductor. The second half of the program is less appealing: "Automania" is a one-note short on a man's attempts to get into his locked car, while "The Romance of Transportation in Canada" (1952) is older and heavily anthologized (though still fun). The luminous quality of the first two shorts, however, make this a solid purchase for libraries with strong animation collections. For ages 7 and up.Wacky Musical Stories Too!, a 7-piece compilation, offers one new title, "Cactus Swing"--which isn't the best piece on the tape--and a handful of classic animated nuggets. "The Log Driver's Waltz," though ancient, is a timeless piece about a young girl's love for a foot fancy log driver that features the wonderful vocals of the sisters McGarrigle; "Get a Job" is a richly illustrated film about the job-hunting travails of Bob Dog, and "Mr. Frog Went A-Courting" uses cut-out animation to bring the classic song of an ill-fated romance to life (and...um...death). Not so spectacular are the dated Mondrian-inspired "Catuor" and an older short called "Duel-Duo" about a clarinet and a trumpet. But "The Ride," a live-action Keystone Cops-like chase skit in which a chauffeur tries to catch his cigar-smoking, newspaper-reading boss as he sails down a mountain on a toboggan (blissfully unaware that his driver is absent) is decent slapstick, and the aforementioned "Cactus Swing" is a reasonably cute Busby Berkeley-inspired short. A strong choice for larger animated collections. For ages 5 and up. Also available from the NFB at $99 are three other compilations: Colonial Canada, Holidays, and Tell Me a Story. Those looking for home-video priced NFB animation collections might try Expanded Entertainment (800-996-8666). (R. Pitman)