Review of Zoologic 2007 by Nicole Mitchell
Student Academy Award Winning US Short Film for Children
Jul 23, 2009
A pompous zoo keeper whose wriggling moustache resembles that of the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, forces his animals to look and behave as he thinks the public would expect. He even measures his egg before he eats it to check it meets his high expectations.
This is much to the dismay of the lonely gorilla whose stuffed, red, toy is prized out of his tender hands and the annoyance of the lemur whose tail is combed begrudgingly into a heavy display.
The lemur and gorilla team up with the comedic, plump penguin who we find toasting his feet by the fire in his igloo and dreaming of Hawaii, when the zoo keeper tries to whip him into shape.
Director Nicole Mitchell wins gold in 2008 Student Academy Awards for her Hand Drawn Animations
Nicole Mitchell grew up in California and graduated from the CalArts Character Animation Programme. Zoologic, after its release in 2007, went on to win gold in the Student Academy Awards, the following year.
It has a vintage feel and look to it, created by the sparse use of watercolours and the hand drawn characters. The simplicity of the film is its strength. Without using dialogue, Mitchell still makes audiences both laugh and empathise with the adorable sketches.
She uses a basic palette of red, green and black to represent action and emotion. The animals turn green and clench their little black eyebrows to express anger and flashes of red appear in the more cheerful objects like balloons, umbrellas and soft toys, all things which catch the impressionable eye.
Charming Short Film for Children to Rival the best Disney or Pixar
The only written word in this short film appears when the gorilla tells the frightened penguin that everything will be ok. This is a charming addition to the message of Zoologic. The animals come together against the zoo keeper like children rallying against a bully but in a light and funny way which young audiences can digest.
As the little penguin munches on his red hotdog and the gorilla holds his red balloon, the zoo keeper is left to turn a bright shade of pink, as he barely holds on to his modesty, standing one-legged amongst the perching flamingos.
Watch Zoologic Online or on the Big Screen as Part of the Travelling Picture Show
Thanks to Future Shorts, Zoologic can now be seen in full online. It is also showing as part of The Travelling Picture Show, a festival of children's film making its way around the West Midlands this summer thanks to the organisers of Flatpack Festival, 7 Inch Cinema.
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