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8 hours ago
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‘Olivia & the Clouds' Director Tomás Pichardo Espaillat on the Wild Collaborative Animation Process of His Annecy Player: ‘It Was Chaotic and Crazy'
Through the thoughts and memories of its cast, Annecy __ player 'Olivia & the Clouds' leaps across multiple animation and live-action formats. This film — only the third animated feature produced in the Dominican Republic, according to its director Tomás Pichardo Espaillat — is made from paper, film, scratched animation cels, stop motion, 2D digital animation, rotoscoping, cut-outs and more. The story itself is about a quartet of people — Olivia, Barbara, Mauricio and Ramón — all connected by past and present relationships with each other, the film's different methods representing the emotional distance between them. More from Variety Brazil's 'Nimuendajú' Makes Annecy Debut As Director Tania Anaya Underlines Ongoing Fight for Indigenous Peoples' Freedom Andy Serkis' 'Animal Farm' Reveals First Footage: Seth Rogen, Kieran Culkin and Gaten Matarazzo Voice Power-Hungry Pigs in Animated George Orwell Adaptation (EXCLUSIVE) Stop-Motion Animation 'Tales From the Magic Garden' Sells to Multiple Territories (EXCLUSIVE) Director Pichardo comes from a background of live-action film, video and fine arts. 'Olivia & the Clouds,' both in its style and its story, draws upon that breadth of experience. Upon the film's screening at this year's festival, Variety spoke to the director about his mixed-media approach, the landscape of Dominican animation and learning to animate on the job. What sparked the idea for 'Olivia & the Clouds'? Was it always intended to be animated across different mediums? As for the story, it was a few short films that never happened, where, with time, I realized, 'Oh, these characters connect with one another,' and then I started creating a path between them. It was a long process from the idea to the end of production — about 10 years. Most of it happened because, coming from the Dominican Republic, we have a very small animation industry and small animation community, and during the first years, it was even smaller. You could count the number of professional animators on one or two hands. So there were not a lot of opportunities to get projects like this done. But as time progressed, there were more opportunities. In terms of the different styles and techniques, we quickly realized at the beginning that most of the animators that we had didn't have the same background or the same education in animation. We understood that that wouldn't work for us to make a feature that was just one method. What we tried to bring was each animator working in their own style, and it fit really well with the points of view of the characters. In terms of the idea and how the project came to be, I came from making short films. Most of those short films were a way for me to learn a new technique, as we didn't have an animation school at that time. I also did freelance for TED-Ed. They have this segment on YouTube where they put a lot of animations, and I was taking each project as a way to learn one specific technique, something new. I took advantage of that in the sense of using it as my school. So if they gave me creative freedom, I'd think, 'I wanna do something as a cutout animation.' Or I'd do one in stop motion. So I was learning in that sense, too. How did you figure out where to place these different animation styles within that story? I was always taking all my short films and, even if they were very different, I tried to put them together as an edit for myself. So I was playing a lot with remixing my own work. But it's also because most of the people working on the film were former students of mine. I knew them well — how they work. So for some animators I gave them the script with a full animatic and everything and said, 'this is what you're going to be animating.' And with others, they would be dealing with more abstract animation or playing around with feelings, and I would just give them a word or one expression. One sequence, the bachata sequence at the bar, was made by six animators, and all of them were working apart from each other. So I was giving them different ideas and asking them not to see what the others were doing. Then I received all this material; it was chaotic and crazy. Speaking of material, one fascinating thing was the different textures you were using, like the cutouts that looked like they were made from invoices. Cardboard is something that I've been using quite a lot — not in my films, but I come from fine arts, so I did a lot of pieces made out of cardboard, sculptures and all that. As for the invoices, that's because some of the elements of the story are from my past or the people around me. And when I was building Ramón as a character — my father is an engineer by trade — he was always making sketches on invoices, on any kind of paper he could get, making all these doodles. So I figured, 'what if I take all these invoices and all these elements and all these letters and everything and make them into this person?' So I was taking all these different textures, seeing what they could bring to the story or maybe remind me of something from the past. You mentioned how much the Dominican animation scene had changed, even during your time working on the film. What about the industry was reflected in the production of the film? We had many challenges and so many things happening. For example, being in the Dominican Republic, we are very influenced by American culture and the films and animation they produce. So the concept of animation here is traditional Disney animation and Pixar, 3D animation. Making things outside of that is very rare, and sometimes they don't understand it when you try to explain it to them. For example, when I was trying to get funds for 'Olivia & the Clouds,' for the sequence shot on Super 8 that had animation elements on top of it, we had to ask permission to record at this specific street in this area. They were like, 'Isn't this an animation? What are you doing?' We also had the head of the film commission change during the project. The new one is half-Dominican, half-Russian, so she grew up watching a lot of different Soviet animation. She understood quite well that animation has all these ways of being made. And she incorporated a lot of programs and funding into the film industry, and that helped quite a lot, everything growing and evolving at the same time. With that concept, when we released the film, we made an exhibition at the contemporary museum in the country. What we did was deconstruct the entire film, and we did an exhibition for an entire month. It was that whole idea of new people being able to understand how to make animation, but also all these different processes. Do you think these mixed techniques are a mode you'd want to work in again, or do you imagine you'll focus more on one? It depends. In my short films, I do like to play with different techniques, but I sometimes try to understand what the concept needs from the animation. 'Olivia' had that idea of different points of view of the same memory, so it worked for me to have varying styles. And now I'm writing a new project in collaboration with one of the animators from 'Olivia.' She's the one who did all the clay animation, like the sequence of the couple kissing and the scene turning abstract. The story that we're working on has a lot more natural and more 'crafty' elements: more charcoal, pastel colors, textiles, more hand-drawn, as that's what the story is asking for. I think mixing media will never leave me, because it has been in my entire filmography and short films as well, but it changes depending on the story and what it means. Best of Variety 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Animated Program — Can Netflix Score Big With 'Arcane,' 'Devil May Cry' and the Final Season of 'Big Mouth?'
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8 hours ago
- Entertainment
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Bread Zombies, Operatic Tapeworms, Nuclear Fallout and Storm Trooper Trauma Feature in our 10 Shorts Not to Miss at Annecy 2025
Despite its constant growth and status as the animation industry's most important animation event for studios, filmmakers, students and fans, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival remains, at its core, one of the world's greatest platforms for animated short films. Below, we take a closer look at 10 animated shorts competing at this year's festival that attendees won't want to miss. We're not saying these are the best 10 shorts; we'll leave that to the judges, but we believe each offers something unique that anyone fortunate enough to attend this year's event may appreciate. More from Variety Anime-Inspired 'Miraculous' Spinoff 'Miraculous Stellar Force' Acquired by Disney With a 2025 Special and 2027 Series Launch Planned (EXCLUSIVE) 'Spidey and his Amazing Friends,' 'Dragon Striker' and 'Sam Witch' Headline Disney Branded TV's Annecy Slate (EXCLUSIVE) 'Olivia & the Clouds' Director Tomás Pichardo Espaillat on the Wild Collaborative Animation Process of His Annecy Player: 'It Was Chaotic and Crazy' '9 Million Colours,' Bára Anna (Czech Republic, Norway, Germany) Bára Anna's '9 Million Colours' is a vibrant and brilliantly lit 15-minute stop-motion musical that explores the unlikely bond between Fran, a multi-colored mantis shrimp, and Milva, a blind deep-sea fish. Set in a surreal underwater world, the film delves into themes of perception, difference and acceptance. Without dialogue, it relies on expressive animation and an evocative score by Floex to convey its narrative. The film's distinctive blend of puppetry and stop-motion animation crafts a whimsical yet poignant tale that will resonate with audiences of any age. A Cartoon Springboard standout as a project, the finished film's inclusion in this year's festival underscores its artistic merit and emotional depth. 'Atomik Tour,' Bruno Collet (Czech Republic, France) In 'Atomik Tour,' Bruno Collet merges social media documentary realism with surreal stop-motion as a Cold War tour guide leads us through an abandoned nuclear site via a video streaming app. With dark humor and eerie nostalgia, Collet critiques both the absurdity and the tragedy of nuclear history while occasionally shocking the audience with psychological thrills. His miniature sets brim with unsettling detail, and the uncanny monotone characters deliver deadpan lines that hit with precision. It's a timely and quietly powerful film that exposes how we commemorate, or forget, collective trauma. 'Bread Will Walk,' Alex Boya (Canada) 'Bread Will Walk' is as strange as it is magnetic. Iconic Canadian filmmaker Alex Boya delivers an intoxicatingly grotesque piece of hand-drawn surrealism, featuring walking loaves of bread and melting anatomies. It's equal parts body horror, cannibalism and existential comedy, steeped in absurdist traditions. Boya's signature drawing style, fluid and twitching, brings his warped vision to life. This short, voiced entirely by Canadian actor Jay Baruchel, dares viewers to keep looking as its characters morph and are forced towards unenviable decisions. 'Carcassonne-Acapulco,' Marjorie Caup, Olivier Héraud (France) A brightly colored stop-motion short with a vintage and hyper-stylized aesthetic, 'Carcassonne-Acapulco' unspools aboard flight 7836. Cutesy felt sets and characters, and a charming ukulele soundtrack, set up viewers for a surprise when the crew faces an unexpected knock on the cockpit door mid-flight, prompting a tense and comedic dilemma as otherwise casual pilots debate whether to allow the knocker in. The film's meticulous puppet animation and witty storytelling have already garnered significant acclaim, earning it a spot at the Unifrance Short Film Awards. 'The Girl Who Cried Pearls,' Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski (Canada) Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski's 'The Girl Who Cried Pearls' is a haunting fable that delves into sorrow, love and the corrupting power of greed. Premiering as one of the opening-night shorts at this year's festival, this Canadian title showcases the duo's signature handcrafted puppetry and surreal storytelling. With a poignant score by Patrick Watson, the film immerses viewers in a melancholic tale where a girl's tears transform into pearls, leading to unforeseen consequences. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, this short is one in a long line of standout titles that benefit from one of the world's most prolific and supportive public filmmaking programs. 'Life With an Idiot,' Theodore Ushev (France) Inspired by Victor Erofeyev's novella, 'Life With an Idiot' is a tour de force of political expression and raw emotion. Theodore Ushev, whose 2019 short 'The Physics of Sorrow' made our must-watch list at Annecy 2020, adapts the story into a stark, expressionistic film filled with jagged edits and visceral brushstrokes. In the film, a protagonist accused of not working hard enough is forced to live with an idiot as punishment. Pulled from an asylum, the nearly deaf roommate can only utter a single syllable: 'Ech.' Domestic chaos leads to societal critique backed by an aggressive sound design and stark aesthetic. Ushev's latest, produced by French powerhouse Miyu Productions, demands attention and leaves a mark. 'My Wonderful Life,' Calleen Koh (Singapore) Koh's 'My Wonderful Life' is a sharply observed satire of modern society as experienced by an overworked and underappreciated mother of two. Through a charmingly off-kilter blend of 2D aesthetics, the film follows a protagonist who, after catching a highly contagious virus, must abandon her work as a personal assistant to a demanding boss and her duties at home with a useless husband and two needy kids. When her hospital stay is set to end, she begins a series of over-the-top self-mutilations to avoid returning to her unappreciative dependents, but grows to miss and appreciate the joy that they bring into her life. 'Star Wars: Visions – Black,' Shinya Ohira (Japan) One of the most experimental entries in the Star Wars: Visions anthology, 'Black' by Shinya Ohira reimagines the galaxy through a gritty, impressionistic lens. Known for his frenetic animation and abstract storytelling, Ohira delivers a visually explosive meditation on conflict and identity. Far from traditional fan service, this short dives into the psychological toll of warfare and the ambiguity of heroism. It's Star Wars stripped to its philosophical bones, raw, kinetic and unforgettable. An upbeat and frenzied jazz soundtrack fuels the most visually stunning interpretation of the Death Star's destruction that we've ever seen. 'Sulaimani,' Vinnie Ann Bose (France) In 'Sulaimani,' Vinnie Ann Bose crafts a delicate, introspective narrative centered on a restaurant meal and cup of spiced tea, and the memories those dishes evoke in two Malaysian women living in Paris, although for vastly different reasons. Through textured stop-motion animation for present-day scenes and colorful hand-drawn sequences for flashbacks, the film captures the diaspora experience with warmth and nuance. As stories of love, loss and migration unfold over small bites and careful sips, Bose paints a portrait of identity steeped in sensory memory. Intimate and powerful, 'Sulaimani' is a heartfelt ode to cultural reflection and belonging. 'Tapeworm Alexis & the Opera Diva,' Thaïs Odermatt (Switzerland) In one of the festival's most delightfully bizarre entries, Thaïs Odermatt introduces us to a tapeworm named Alexis who accompanies the legendary opera diva Maria Callas across her rise to Prima Assoluta. 'Tapeworm Alexis & the Opera Diva' is a brilliant absurdist comedy, blending crude humor with unexpectedly tender moments and ruminations on contemporary themes. With vibrant, squiggly animation that relies heavily on archival imagery and a riotous sense of rhythm, Odermatt delivers a short that is both a parody and a love letter to one of opera and pop culture's greatest 20th century icons. It's grotesque, hilarious and strangely endearing. Best of Variety 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Animated Program — Can Netflix Score Big With 'Arcane,' 'Devil May Cry' and the Final Season of 'Big Mouth?'
