Computer Animation Festival, Volume 2.0

A follow-up to last year's popular Computer Animation Festival (VL-5/93), this new compilation of 22 computer animated shorts shows some improvement, both on the technological front and, more importantly, in terms of narrative. There are still plenty of examples of incredible imagery (Peter Gabriel's Steam, Todd Rundgren's Theology) which carry no more meaning than your average Ken Russell film--in other words, religious and sexual symbols (primarily) are trotted out, in no particular order, which are full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. However, one can still appreciate the artistic achievements of the 3-D looking Devil's Mine Ride (a video rollercoaster) or the stunning Japanese-animated colorful shapes of Flora without needing a story. But some of the more entertaining pieces do offer a good tale: such as Technological Threat, the story of a dog who would rather fight than lose his job to a machine, and Gas Planet, which is, essentially, an exceptionally well-done fart joke. Great cutting-edge animation. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)