Review 2.2: Balance

Genre: Surreal / Tragedy
Type of Animation: Claymation
Creator: Wolfgang Lauenstein andChristoph Lauenstein

Rating:

MUSIC

CINEMATOGRAPHY

CHARACTER ANIMATION

PRESENTATION OF STORY

OVER-ALL

"Balance" is a film that won an Oscar for Best Animated Short in 1990. It is a very symbolic film that shows that human could be self-centered and egocentric. The film starts with 5 people in a platform. As a person move the other makes another move so the platform balances. When they all reached the edge of the platform, they reached for their fishing rods and fished. One of them caught a box. With their curiosity, everyone tried to see what's inside the box. However, they slowly loved the box and tried to own it. They were moving around so the box would go to them while the others were still trying to balance the platform. One after the other, they fell outside the platform. At the end, only of them was left in the platform with the box at the other edge.

This perhaps is one of the greatest short animated films that were produced. It was symbolic and intriguing and it left the audience a reality. It was an artwork in motion. The surrealistic environment and the thrill was amazing. The music was good but the character animation was not that clean. Depite of this, the film was still successful of bringing the story to life. A film worth of an Oscar indeed.