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Date: 3/18/2016
In the early 1940s, Dave Fleischer – who with his brother Max produced the Betty Boop, Popeye shorts as well as two feature films – was quoted that animation was at the point of its development that it should be considered to tell stories other than comedy.
Fleischer made this statement at the time the studio was making history with its cartoons based on the Superman comic books – the first time cartoon animation was being used to tell adventure stories.
Just as cartoon animation was boxed into subject matter for years based on the assumption of both audiences and studio chiefs, stop motion animation has also been relegated to certain kind of stories – overwhelmingly tales of the fantastic in which the special effects potential of the medium has been exploited.
When most people think of stop motion animation, they think of “King Kong” or the films of Ray Harryhausen.
Last year, though, acclaimed screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and animator Duke Johnson released a stop motion animated film that certainly breaks out of the horror and science fiction ghetto. “Anomalisa” is a depiction of a mental breakdown and a desperate cry for help.
David Theliss provided the voice of Michael Stone, a renowned customer service guru who is flying into a city to deliver a speech at a convention. The beginning of the film is low key and slowly a viewer will realize that something is very odd. All of the characters look exactly alike except for Stone, whether they are a man or woman.
They also have the same voice, supplied by veteran character actor Tom Noonan.
We are viewing the world as Stone is seeing it. Everyone is alike. There is no variety. No one stands out. In his illness, Stone craves to find someone who is different like he is.
At first one might think this is a “Twilight Zone” kind of story about an alternative world. Instead it is a depiction of a man who has clearly suffered a breakdown.
Stone is severely depressed and only brightens when he meets Lisa, a young woman attending the conference who he sees as an individual. Lisa, (with a voice provided by Jennifer Jason Leigh) is smitten by the attention Stone provides. She doesn’t consider herself attractive and is confused by Stone’s near instant affection for her.
Throughout the film, Stone takes phone call from his wife. They have a son, but his marriage doesn’t prevent him from falling deeply into an affair with Lisa.
Mainstream critics have praised this film and it was nominated for an Academy Award. I found it to be poorly paced and used animation as a novelty effect.
Essentially there was no real reason to use animation, other than to create a buzz that the medium had been used to tell this kind of story. For instance, Stone takes a shower and has sex with Lisa, events that are certainly uncommon in stop motion animation.
The strength of the film shouldn’t lie in the novelty of its execution but rather whether or not it was a compelling story with interesting characters.
Stone is so far removed from reality that he can’t discern that he is ill. He can’t figure out that buying his young son a Japanese sex toy is inappropriate.
Screenwriter Kaufman is known for his challenging stories, but this one is much more a vignette – a part of a sad story that has no real resolution or a point.
This is an animated film for audiences who would never stoop so low as to watch an animated film. Ultimately it is a pretentious bore.
This is film that is best experienced with as little knowledge of the plot as possible, so I’m just going to tell you to go see it.
I deliberately stayed away from reading about it and had an incrediblely satisfying film experience because of my ignorance.
It is a film that changes story direction and tone often enough to truly throw you off and few films that say that today.
If you like the unexpected, go see it.