Computer Animation Extravaganza

In the Compilations of Computer-Animated Shorts cottage industry, the folks at The Mind's Eye have carved out a respectable niche, with acclaimed collections such as The Mind's Eye (VL-5/91), Beyond the Mind's Eye (VL-12/92) and The Gate to the Mind's Eye (VL-11/94). While the bloom is somewhat off this particular rose (with today's viewers demanding more than just a techno-stroll down Eye Candy Lane), this latest collection offers more than just the standard narrative-less modeling test films that characterized much of the output of the late '80s and early '90s. Of the 16 entries included here (a bonus title, "The Smell of Fear," is featured on the DVD), the opener "Tightrope," in which a jester and a malicious figure duke it out on a tightrope is the best, followed by several strong pieces, such as the humorous "Teaspoon" and "My Lucky Day" (a workman's comp nightmare); the sublime "Migrations" (in which a stone figure attached to a building literally breaks his concrete restraints and takes wing); and the sly "Tribu" (in which otherworldly beings discover that one of their own is pulling a 'wizard of Oz' power play, and then lose their purpose once the imposter is revealed and their political/religious system breaks down). The other 11 pieces vary in quality, from the strained humor of "Ronin Romance Classics" (in which a housewife daydreams of bawdy adventures with pirates and thieves) to the one-note joke of the Halloween-themed "Hollow." Overall, however, this is definitely recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)