Jack and Ella are truly, madly, deeply in love with each other until a very dumb misunderstanding causes a rift that may not heal. CHEATIN' is the latest from legendary animator Bill Plympton and shows that he still has the creative juices even in his late 60's. His signature hand-drawn aesthetic is helped along by digital composition and coloring software, which was helped funded through a Kickstarter campaign, giving the picture an unique blend of beauty. Combine that with an often times haunting score by Nicole Renaud and this should have been a true knockout. Unfortunately, I was not amused by the driving force for the romantic breakup, nor for its conclusion when the one of the two's rampant adultery is just swept under the rug. I know that I shouldn't be thinking or care that much hard about the plot when viewing a Plympton creation but I couldn't escape my distaste for it. I also was hampered by the brief usage of opera tunes, not for their inclusion but for their pitiful sound quality and how they routinely ruin what Renaud is trying to accomplish; the biggest earmuff moment comes when "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" is played, seemingly ripped from a random YouTube video. CHEATIN' is an intriguing product from one of the animation greats, slightly worthy enough for a gander but sadly not one of his best.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
No comments:
Post a Comment