Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase; Relative Orbits

Called the "queen of independent animation" by Bill Plympton (The Tune), Joanna Priestley was inspired to become an animator after checking out pioneering animation filmmaker Norman McLaren's 16mm shorts (those brilliant National Film Board of Canada pieces from the 1940s-'70s) from her local library. Relative Orbits collects eight of her innovative and idiosyncratic pieces from the past 20 years, beginning with "Voices" (1985), a whimsical self-talk featuring Priestley's animated talking head metamorphosing as she catalogs her various phobias. "She-Bop" (1988), a humorous visualization of a poem about a goddess "on the rampage," combines drawings with puppet animation; "All My Relations" (1990) looks at the arc of a relationship from "first blush" on; "Candyjam" (1988) is a candy-themed compilation featuring the work of 10 animators, including Priestley; "Pro and Con" (1992), a collaboration with Joan C. Gratz, examines the penal system from the points of view of a corrections officer and an inmate; and "Hand Held" (1995) explores the relationship between an autocratic "hand" and a group of stick figures who eventually revolt against the former's oppressive rule (featuring an excellent a cappella soundtrack by The Bobs). Two of the best pieces are "After the Fall" (1991), in which a sad sack figure repeatedly tries to connect with others (Priestley made the film after the break-up of a 10-year relationship), and "Grown Up" (1993), a humorous ode to becoming 40 ("you're a kid for so long and then--yuck--you turn forty"). In addition to the shorts, the DVD includes a pair of bonus documentaries: an informative tour of Priestley's studio and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of three of her films. Recommended. [Note: the companion compilation Fighting Gravity, featuring eight more Priestley films and bonus documentaries, is also available for $20, with both titles bundled together for $35.] Aud: H, C, P. Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase features four animated shorts from Joan C. Gratz, who works in the same building as fellow animator Priestley, including the pair's collaborative effort "Pro and Con," as well as the companion pieces "The Dowager's Feast" and "The Dowager's Idyll," two narration-less clay-painted pieces set to music by 3 Leg Torso (the first is an explosion of colorful tendrils, spikes, waves, and various other shapes that splash, swirl, and coalesce across the screen; the second is a more controlled, geometrically precise--with left- and right-hand mirrored images--kaleidoscope-like combination of moving lines and figures). The centerpiece, however, is unquestionably the Oscar-winning title film, a glorious celebration of 20th century art in which famous paintings creatively morph into one another, serving up both a visual history and a clever demonstration of how one movement evolves into the next (viewers will see German Expressionists, the Cubist works of Picasso, the nightmarish visions of Francis Bacon, the playful Surrealist absurdities of Salvador Dali, and more--and much of the fun lies in recognizing the various masterworks paid homage to here). Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)