I have always been a big fan of the look of 60s American illustration, with very simplistic features that tell o much about the character, a dominant colour on each scene, basic compositions and very accentuated poses. This charming short has it all and it's all handsomely delivered.
This short animation was commissioned by Faber & Faber to promote the release of Andrew O'Hagan's novel The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe.
Robin Davey designed, directed and animated the whole short. The music is Bean Bag by Jeff Curry.
Robin says: "Drawing inspiration from film titles and cartoons of that era and incorporating quotes from the novel itself, I produced this minute long whistle-stop tour of Maf's early life, tracing his journey from an English farmhouse kitchen to the company of the most famous woman in the world. The piece was conceived as a single sequence without obvious cuts, using colour transitions to reinforce the sense of movement."
A bit of advice: Select the HD version and play full screen, it's worth it!
Related articles:
- Two By Two I have a weakness for this kind of retro looking animations, this nicely executed short was created by Matthew Kalinauskas...
