Motion or lack thereof in stop motion

August 28, 2008 - 3:50 PM by · 3 Comments
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Pop Culture 

Rosenthal and Keret's $9.99, premiering in TorontoRecent developments in the world of Israeli comics and animation have begun to make experts wonder just how big the scene is here, and how much potential it has for growth.

The retro-animated 1982 Lebanon War-themed documentary Waltz with Bashir, which spent four years in production in Israel, Germany and France, turned many heads at Cannes this summer.

Next month, Waltz with Bashir screens at the prestigious Toronto Film Festival, as does $9.99 (pictured), a feature film debut for director/animator Tatiana Rosenthal with Geoffrey Rush serving as voice talent. The movie is based on an Etgar Keret story, the author’s canon having inspired many successful film projects lately.

One blogger wonders if the hype might be nothing but hot air:

There are no animated features produced in Israel. So how could it be that two of the first animated theatrical features made in Israel in over four decades are now getting their premieres at the Toronto Film Festival?

For those not in the know, it may seem that Israel is an animation empire, but the ironic fact is that the two animated movies to be shown next month in Toronto are actually almost the only animated features ever produced over here and their simultaneous premiere is nothing short of a cosmic fluke.

But there’s simply too much going on in the field to consider the buzz completely unwarranted.

Earlier this month, a major Animation, Comics and Caricatures Festival, the eighth such event, took place at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque, drawing international industry guests.

Alternative retailer The Third Ear launched its own comics publishing house recently. Domestic popularity and output of graphic novels seems to be growing. Even smaller arts institutes like Sderot’s Sapir College are impressively getting into the animation education game. Aiming to serve as a YouTube for animation that also offers industry connections, Israeli startup Aniboom has recently hosted high-profile campaigns like the band-sanctioned Radiohead In Rainbows video remix contest.

With “flukes” like these, who needs proper trends?

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