The first time I discussed my personal cinematic landscape,
I only had one section dedicated to animation: family. A lot of people have
anime films they could add to their cinematic landscapes, but most of the anime
I watch is in the form of a series. As a result, I hadn’t really seen much in
animation that was geared toward adults. At least, nothing that altered how I
felt about animated films in general. I discussed Who Framed Roger Rabbit
(1988), but it was from a genre-hybrid stance, and The Animatrix (2003),
but that was from an anthology perspective.
Since then, there have been a great many animated films that
have crossed my desk that have not been geared toward young children. Only one of
which absolutely altered the way I consume animated films.
From the moment I learned about the existence of
Mad God
(2021) I was excited. The legendary Phil Tippett gave us a claymation horror
film that no one would ever confuse as a children’s flick. It altered everything
I thought I knew about animated movies. The man in charge of the practical
effects of
Jurassic Park (1993) – a movie that stands up even 30 years
later – found a way to create an animated film with nothing but practical
effects. If anyone had asked me a few years ago if that was even possible, I’d
have thought there was no way.
Tippett began work on
Mad God in the 80s. As time
moved on CGI became better and studios began overusing it. It was disheartening
and he almost stopped, but the people he worked with convinced him to continue
and even put it on Kickstarter once that became a thing. A revolving door of
students was used as help in completing the project and it was released in
three parts. Those parts were eventually put together and released on Shudder.
It was an hour and a half of some of the most grotesque
footage I have ever seen, and I mean that in the best way.
The main character never spoke a word, but there was a clear
story and a hellish landscape filled with so much that it was impossible to
look away. Nothing I had ever seen could have prepared me for what
Mad God delivered.
I have a different outlook on what animation is now. A word
that used to conjure up mostly thoughts of moving drawings and bright colors
now has an added, more mature, picture. That image is of hundreds of human
hands slowly moving tiny sculptures in a way that builds a unique story that no
amount of pretty colors or live-action could have told.
It’s almost as if, in that moment, animated films split off
into two very different categories for me. It altered my personal cinematic
landscape forever.
