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17 out of 18 people found the following review useful: First rate animated short, 27 January 2005 Author: K K from Canada
Don't follow the genre at all so I have no idea how unique the effects are. Just happened to catch it on the CBC indie show Zed and was reminded about it when I heard it got an Oscar nomination. And I must say, this is a rare instance where you see a new technology being applied in a way that actually enhances every aspect of what happens to be a deep and touching story. As opposed to today's big budget CGI which provides little more than a cheap thrill. I can imagine if I were in Ryan's shoes in his regrettable state, I would feel exactly like the stripped down fragments of skin, bone, tendons and random Rube Goldberg parts he's depicted as. A must see film, and not only because of the gorgeous animation. 10/10
18 out of 20 people found the following review useful: It will wow you, 30 January 2005 Author: kerecsen
I bought a ticket for the Sundance animated short program thinking that I will see the usual rehashed animated fare. Boy, was I wrong. But as good and creative as the other shorts were, Ryan stood way out.It is something truly original, not just because it is a computer animated documentary, but also because of the truly inventive use of the capabilities of CGI animation. The movie tells Ryan Larkin's life story in a concise but very touching way. I promise it will be the perfect roller-coaster ride, it will make you happy and sad, and it will make you think. And it will also make you stare at the gorgeous imagery.I doubt you can find a better way to spend 14 minutes of your life.
19 out of 23 people found the following review useful: This is art, 12 November 2004 Author: Israel Yang from Toronto, Canada
I had seen Chris Landreth's Bingo when I worked at Alias, and I was very impressed by the evident creativity that involved in Landreth's work. . His work is very unique and no cliché, and most importantly, visually very interesting. I have yet to see anyone to produce a 3d short that's as advanced in terms of the creative use of the 3d tool. . My personal belief is, the Ryan is much more than just a 3d documentary(also a very new genre in 3d animation I believe), it is a piece of art, and the medium is computer animation.
9 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Beautiful, 3 June 2005 Author: lily_77o from Canada
'Ryan' is a truly beautiful film in many respects. First the visual look of the film is high art. Beyond the composition and the colors, there is so much visual information going on that as a viewer you feel like you are getting a secret peek into another realm, where people wear the experiences that pilfer their soul. Secondly, there is something very beautiful about the film's ancestry and pedigree. The film showcases the talented Ryan Larkin and his animation in a way that both honors the art of animation but also shows the growth of the genre. Thirdly the film depicts and encapsulates the sacrifice that artists face and struggle to passionately create their art and walk down a path that is so very much less traveled.'Ryan' a beautiful film deserves its honors and praise.
9 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Overwhelmingly Spectacullar!!!, 26 February 2005 Author: Behzad from Vancouver
This piece of work is truly the most astonishing animation I have ever seen. Its visual attributes are so rich that the eye fails to follow them on the screen. My experience was indeed enhanced since I watched it on the NFB's big screen in downtown Toronto. Ryan's creators have doubtlessly pushed the envelope in exploiting artistic techniques. Its intelligent plot is also very admirable. Based on the life of a real character, Ryan criticizes the extreme financial difficulties of many unknown artists who struggle with their lives to produce art. All been said, this is one of those cases where any literal description of the work is still far away from the actual visual experience. So Go Figure!
5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: This short is like an iceberg-90% of what's there is beneath the surface, 18 July 2005 Author: Robert Reynolds (minniemato@hotmail.com) from Tucson AZ
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I just saw this short for the first time today and it's a stunner, both visually and emotionally. It most definitely deserved the Academy Award it won in February.Even though the concept of an animated documentary dates back to at least the 1940s (Disney did quite a few during World War II, most notably Victory Through Air Power) and possibly even earlier, it is sufficiently rare in occurrence that it still has a novel quality here. Mild spoilers follow.The visuals are nothing short of astounding and you can watch it for those alone and enjoy this immensely. But this is more than eye candy. While Ryan Larkin is the stated focus, it stuck me that the heart of the short is fear-the fear behind a phrase such as, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." Chris Landreth is, I have no doubt, a compassionate fellow and I'm sure an interest in Larkin was part of his motivation for making the film. But I think the greater motivation is an inner fear that he could be in Larkin's shoes someday. He basically says this more than once in the short. The number of figures you see on the edges who are disabled, disfigured or without hope reinforce this emotional turmoil. The question Landreth asks Larkin about his alcoholism is another indicator that this isn't just concern for Larkin's welfare.This is a very disquieting short, worth repeated viewing. This is almost as disturbing as Balance. It is on DVD through the National Film Board of Canada and is well worth seeing. I cannot recommend this more highly.
5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Introspective Animation, 4 March 2005 Author: Jeff (HardKnockLife210@aol.com) from Rock Hill, South Carolina
Ryan, an animated short by Chris Landreth, is on the most original and innovative pieces of animation I have ever seen. Not that I'm big into animation or anything, but how the characters are drawn (via computer) is unrealistic, yet oddly truthful, as if the shape of each character's face reveals something about him. The story of the film is actually told by Landreth himself, and regards his past, combined with bits of conversation with another innovative animator: Ryan Larkin.The film is not the most focused bit of material, but it is extremely introspective. You see, Chris sees himself and the mistakes he has made in Ryan, who struggles with alcohol and poverty. The characters do not look real, but they are real, and they have something to reveal to the viewer, an important message of self-improvement and of the splendor of those whom we so quickly forget.Final Grade: A.
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Outstanding animated short, 14 June 2005 Author: Mike_Wiggins from Newport, Rhode Island, USA
I saw this film at the Newport International Film Festival a few days ago (June 12, 2005). It won an award at the Festival for Best Animated Short.I am an animation enthusiast who has created some of his own experimental animations. Up until seeing "Ryan" I didn't know the film existed and the NIFF did not list it as an Academy Award winner. So I went into the theater to see a series of short animated movies of which "Ryan" was included.When I LEFT the shorts program screening, I couldn't help thinking of how profoundly moved I had been after having seen "Ryan". The imagination and creativity that went into the making this short were nothing short of incredible. The two main characters were fragmented and distorted in a way that represented (as many of you have said) the disintegration of the psyche and persona of the individuals. But the faces still had shreds of their original faces included. This was one of the animation techniques that amazed me the most because I really could not tell if the facial shreds were computer generated or rotoscoped from the faces of actors then applied to the individual shreds.This movie was also laid out as an animated documentary, which is unusual. This means that there isn't much action. Everything is in the interviews that were conducted throughout the film. This means the animators had to REALLY pay attention to the small details. One detail in particular occurred towards the end of the film. This detail shows all street signs, store fronts and window writing written backwards. But if you look closely in one of the windows, you will see the reflection of one of the characters, and he is a complete being. So the world we have been taken to in this marvelous film is very similar to the world Alice stumbled into when she went through the looking glass.This is a very definite 10 out of 10. Most of my points are awarded for imagination, creativity and for telling a moving story about someone I had never heard of before.
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Best animated short, 3 August 2006 Author: FANNattick from Canada
This is not your typical animated short. It's not something you'd normally see before a full length feature at the cinema. It's more complex, and deep as it is fun and entertaining. There are, however elements of that too."Ryan" is a story about Ryan Larkin, an innovative, talented and gifted Canadian artist from the late 60s and early 70s. Director Chris Landreth plays himself, only a much more animated version. His body is breaking apart, his memories are haunting him and he's much more interested in the late artist instead of his own life. He introduces us to Ryan, voiced by Ryan Larkin himself, and tells us that he's on the verge of breaking down (literally). The story then starts playing out very visually as Ryan starts explaining the troubles of being an artist and how many are not respected and poor.The visual style of this is enchanting. It goes through 3D animation, to pencil drawing, to painting, to sketches. Really unique in the sense that it stimulates your eye and allows you to see much more in the screen than most animated features do in a full scene. There are relative clues as to the depth of the main character, and how he's nostalgic of the past, and stricken by the disease of poverty ('Spare change? Thank you, sir, you're very kind.').Chris starts out by telling us that he's about to explain some things to us. We expect him to tell us a story of Ryan, which has a regular narrative structure in which there's a beginning, a climax and the end. However, he tells us this story in a series of flashbacks, interviews, and visuals. That's where the interesting part really kicks in. Friends of Ryan are brought in through different forms of animation, and they explain to us just how Ryan's life has been.Every little detail of this movie is flawless. We see a closeup of Ryan and his jaw-dropping realistic face, we see that when he smokes and freezes the camera circles him, exposing every millimeter of perfection, from the smoke to the back of his deformed head. Each shot is so well animated, and yet so deep that it's no wonder it won at the Oscars (ironically since Ryan Larkin was at the Oscars in 1969 and lost only to become unsuccessful and poor). "Ryan" shows us that you can make an animated short that isn't targeted at kids, and have it both entertaining and thought-provoking.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Beautiful, 9 January 2008 Author: acmelita (lita@acmefilmworks.com) from United States
"Ryan" deserves ever accolade it has received and more. It illuminates. It shines a light on a piece of animation history while putting it into the greater context of one animator's creative journey. It is that rare example of a true animated documentary, using the form to better tell the story, enhancing it. Utilizing the fanciful to better tell the truth.It has recently become available on DVD for five dollars at www.Filmporium.com. I highly recommend adding this academy-award winner to your library. This is one film that not holds up to, but rewards repeated viewing. The DVD also contains Bill Plympton's "Eat" and the circle-of-life short "Flux" by Chris Hinton.
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