"The Danish Poet"

At first I was rather skeptical about this animation.  When the scene opened, it included a narration and different drawings meshing into each other to explain the background of the story.  However, once the story began, I found myself immediately captivated by the story.  The contour lines gave the look such a simplicity that made the message even more complex.  Many things captured my attention in the video such as the animator's use of different perspectives.  For example, the audience looked through the main character's perspective as he walked into the psychiatrist's office.  Also, there were many exaggerated elements in the video such as the book from the library being 3 times the size of the character and the woman's hair being 10 feet long.  In response to Disney's "The Old Mill," the rain in this video are lines across the screen rather than individual droplets.  The thing i found most interesting is the act of repetition and the constant routine cycle.  Throughout the story, he would go to the psychiatrist, get on the boat with the drunken crowd, and get off at his stop.  It is so amazing to me how there can be such repetition but the story can still be captivating and exciting.  However, like the Disney video, they were different each time in the fact that one was joyous while the other scene is depressing.  I also enjoyed this film because although it was not realistic, in fact rather drastic, the video was still very moving and heartfelt.

Walt Disney "The Old Mill"

Watching this video reminded me of my childhood because I have always been fascinated by Walt Disney's animations.  However, I never really paid close attention to the detail.  I really enjoyed the different stories that were being told in this short film.  The mill is home to various animal families and it is introduced by zooming in on each character from the bottom of the mill to the top.   I also found the use of weather interesting.  The rain in the video are not lines or streaks across the screen, they are more like droplets.  I noticed when the water hit the ground it would transform into puddles and connect with one another.  Also, I found the frog scene to be very visually dynamic as well.  I loved the complexity of the ripples in the pond and the color change when half the frog's body was underwater.  Disney truly tries to tie fantasy and reality together.  His animations are inspired by realistic events but he puts a creative twist on it.  Lastly, I found the opening spider web sequence to be the best part.  The way it was shown with just highlights and shadows was brilliant.  The video then closed showing the spider web all torn apart, blowing in the wind because of the awful storm.  I really enjoyed this video and its use of various characters to tell an overall story.

"Beyond the Clouds"

As seen in class, I was truly amazed by this video.  In the beginning, I immediately understood how the main character was feeling just from her expressions and body language, which is not as common in animation as it is in real life video.  I loved how the highlights and shadows are exaggerated because it creates an intense look.  The movement of her hair and the movement of the clouds were just remarkable.  Makoto Shinkai created such a realistic, yet fantasy-like video that incorporated great use of perspective.  I truly enjoyed watching this trailer.

"Gertie the Dinosaur"

Before watching the video, I predicted an animation that would be amateur and rather boring because of the year it was created and the lack of technology.  However, I was truly surprised.  The contour drawings actually gave the video a simplistic touch that made the clip have a carefree atmosphere.  Winsor McCay incorporated different perspectives and shadows.  The narration made the video comical and I found myself laughing throughout it.  I found the splashes of water to be very advanced.  My favorite part was when McCay was transformed into a 2D character after previously being seen as himself. I really underestimated this video.