Cartoon Brew Film of the Week: WELCOME TO GLARINGLY

There’s a lot of animation nowadays that has a retro-pixel look with blocky graphics. None I’ve seen execute the look as elegantly as the British short WELCOME TO GLARINGLY (2003) by Grant Orchard. The film’s Orwellian theme is a perfect match for the style, and the animation is smartly done to take advantage of the pixelated look. With over a half million public surveillance cameras installed around London, the film’s idea is not far removed from current realities, and eloquently points out the pitfalls of relying on technology as judge, jury and executioner.

Grant Orchard has directed commercials for StudioAKA (like this terrific spot for MTV) and also is one of the founders of the studio The Hope & Anchor. Also, it should be pointed out that the graphics and sound on GLARINGLY are not too great on this online version I linked to, but it’s the only complete version I could find online. Here’s a CLIP that gives a more accurate sense of the film’s quality.