Horst in Translation ([email protected]) I imagine this must be a feast for navigators or people working in the aviation industry a lot. I thought that the animation, some kind of shadow figure depiction, was quite unique and despite having seen a truly huge quantity of animated movies, I'm not sure if I ever came across something similar. However, it's a style I have difficulties appreciating. I like black and white films, also in animation (and it almost was with a few exceptions like the blood) and the style certainly fit the very bleak atmosphere appropriately, but somehow it's not my cup of tea.The main character (voiced by Joel Edgerton, who recently starred as Tom Buchanan in a new version of The Great Gatsby) narrates his travel with a group of seafarers who run into complications and end up on a mysterious island where they encounter even more mysterious creatures which end up having a huge impact on the group's travels and lives.This short film is worth checking out, at least the first couple minutes, as I'm sure if you are more fond of the style than I am it can make for quite a haunting watch.

Rectangular_businessman I consider "The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello" to be a fairly impressive short at every single level, which not only has a beautiful animation style but also a rich and fascinating plot.Visually speaking, The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello" is flawless, having a magnificent atmosphere and stylish designs, with a visual aesthetic heavily influenced by the works of Lotte Reiniger. The result is in my opinion, simply breathtaking.The story takes cues from the literary works of Jules Verne and Gothic fiction the 18th century, resulting in something quite dark but captivating at the same time, which never fails to the amaze the viewer. It could be sad, even slow at moments, but for me, it never stops being interesting.From beginning to the end, "The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello" shows a brilliance that hardly could be achieved by other films that use the Steampunk elements in a shallow manner.

Tura23 As short horror films go, this is one of the best I've seen in recent years. The story is genuinely chilling and the cut-out animation style is a perfect fit for old-fashioned narrative. Capturing the creepy essence of classic writers like Blackwood, Lovecraft, and Poe, this film is a mini-masterpiece and well worth tracking down. Fans of animation may notice a slight stylistic resemblance to some of the works of the brilliant Karel Zeman, although Zeman's work was seldom as intense or scary. The only problem I have with the film is that the disk is PAL encoded and won't play on standard North American DVD players.

Robert Reynolds This short, which was nominated for an Academy Award, is a form of stop-motion where the figures are primarily shot in silhouette to make them darker and to heighten the overall mood of terror and suspense. The technique is perfectly suited to the story being told, which has so many literary and cinematic influences that its hard to know where to begin.In addition to the more obvious suspects (Poe, Verne, Wells, et cetera) I would also add Bram Stoker and a sub-genre of Science Fiction/Fantasy called "steampunk", which Lucas himself has cited as an influence. Novels like The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling and Lord Kelvin's Machine by James P. Blaylock (both highly recommended, though not as dark as Morello, if you like the basic idea of a high(er)-tech Victorian England) are excellent examples of "steampunk" and I would be a bit surprised if Lucas hasn't read at least one or both. The feel is certainly there.One warning: this is NOT a short for children, especially young children. There are at least two scenes unsuited for anyone younger than 12 or 13. This is available on an all-region DVD made in Australia. Most highly recommended.