“The Box” by Dadomani

The Box: Poltergeist is a delighful throwback to older animated films where personality animation and movement itself were often the source of entertainment. The film, the first in a proposed series by Milan-based Dadomani Studio, barely has a setup. For a three-minute short though, I’m perfectly happy with “a man and his dog watch TV.” What makes The Box special is how the filmmaker and animator present the gags and thoughts of the characters through a purely visual language. They uncover a surprisingly full range of motion (and emotion) for characters that one would expect to have a limited range because of their design. It’s quite an accomplishment, not to mention great fun to watch.

CREDITS
Idea, Production, Animation supervision, Direction: Dadomani Studio
Screenplay: Stefano Armeni
Director of photography: Patrizio Saccò
Animation: Dario Imbrogno
Sound: Enrico Ascoli
Fluid simulation: Dario Cavaliere