Web Animation Watch: Bench, Mr Benn, Play With Me and More
Welcome to another fine edition of Web Animation Watch, our long-running celebration of the best in online animation. This week we've got a good mix of styles, including 2D, CGI animation and stop-motion, with artists coming from the UK, US and Thailand.
As always, if you are an animator who has made something that would be at home here or just a fan who's found something you think we should see, drop us a line today!
Mr Benn 50th Anniversary
MR BENN 50TH ANNIVERSARY from factory on Vimeo.
This week the beloved British animated series Mr Benn celebrated its 50th anniversary. To mark this occasion, licence holder Factory are collaborating for various new ranges of merchandise to be released throughout the year. To celebrate Factory's Jo Chalkley created this charming short animation in the style of the original series and featuring other characters from the 'Factory family' including The Clangers and Scream Street.
Poetry Lovers
Animator/cartoonist Charles Brubaker stands out from his peers with work that recalls the classic American newspaper strip style, and that style is retained when his characters are transported into animation. In this short, his characters attend a poetry night. You can support Charles on Patreon, here.
Play With Me
This student film from students of Thailand's MMDA is extremely powerful stuff. For the majority of the time, it appears to be an adorable and innocent work about a young girl and her stuffed bear. Then it delivers a gut-punch of a twist that puts the whole thing in a very different perspective. And all without a line of spoken dialogue. Produced by Pornsawan Rittiruth , Ramita Daomenee, Kanyawee Sulaimarn and Janthima Saengsri
Bench
★ PICK OF THE WEEK 1 ★ A short film about sharing featuring two adorable critters from writer/director Rich Webber. Thanks to irresistible character designs and a classic hand-made 'claymation' look, this feels like it could have been on TV twenty years ago. A slice of pure stop-motion joy from Waaber. See behind the scenes here.
Black History (It's Yours) | Black History Month Rap Anthem
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★ PICK OF THE WEEK 2 ★ Commissioned by Nickelodeon to commemorate US Black History Month, this music video has a catchy beat and an appealing visual style that should make it a hit with its intended young audience. Yavae Thomas's animation is the perfect complement to writer/performer's Idris Goodwin's ingenious rap that celebrates the contributions of African American icons from Rosa Parks to Beyonce.
