...and a real good. for cultural references, from Oriental fairy stories or Paulo Cohelo Alchemist to old master Freud. for its simplicity. and for a character reminding contemporary paranoia. so, a kind of mirror. seductive for the dose of absurd, charming for the surprising end, lovely for the similarities with the drawings of children. so, a kind of English joke. or only a circular story, so simple than it has the chance to become irresistible.

Footprints has a few things I love in short films, even if those films aren't necessarily my cup of tea or the best out there: 1- A clearly distinguishable style. I love Plympton's style, that mix of children illustration and hallucinated surreal oneiric world in pastel and subdued colours. 2- A clear idea or concept. Of course there is story in this short film. Are you kidding me?! It is just that is not a story that goes from A to Z, is a story that goes from A to A. It is not a linear story, it is a circular story. It is not a story of the conscious, it is a story of the subconscious. 3- The presence of some intriguing elements that make me ponder, watch the movie again and ponder again, or just say aha!Footprints is a very short and simple film, as short as a joke can be. However, it is able to explore some elements of the unconscious in a simple understandable way.

"Footprints" is an odd little film by Bill Plympton. I am a huge fan of this wonderful artist and have seen most of his shorts. This is why I found it odd that Footprints was chosen for the program, as it's among the poorest of his films I have seen--mostly because the animation seems more rushed and lacks the care that you'd seen in his best works--such as hit "Guard Dog"/"Guide Dog"/"Hot Dog" series or in my personal favorite, "One of Those Days"*. The story also is a bit lacking. Now I am not saying it's a bad movie but Plympton simply has done so much better.*Several of these films HAVE been nominated and/or included in this special showing in the past. But I could probably name at least 10-15 of his shorts that are vastly superior to "Footprints". Please try to see these other films--the guy is a genius with the pencil!

'FOOTPRINTS': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)Another crazy cartoon from Portland animator Bill Plympton (featured in theaters as a 'Highly Commended' animated short; played with the '2015 Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films'). It tells the story of a man trying to track down a monster, and kill it. It's just 4 minutes long, contains no dialogue and was directed by Plympton. It's another really dark and bizarrely odd animated movie, from the creative mind of Bill Plympton. I didn't get it, and I couldn't really tell you what it was about; without reading the synopsis. It is somewhat amusing though, for 4 minutes, but kind of forgettable.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://youtu.be/D17O2xOoOCw