Cryptozoo

Though I didn't really love the linear, rather flat, style of animation throughout this film, I did quite enjoy the underlying tales of mythological beasts that constitute the "Cryptids". They are things like unicorns and yeti. Animals about which science is in abject denial but that put all forms of art into ecstacy. Naturally, these beasts are constantly being sought after so "Lauren" and "Joan" come up with the idea of finding them somewhere safe to live, where scientists can peaceably study and maybe even learn from them. The one that's missing is the elusive "Baku". This creature can eat people's dreams and so is also a target of those who, as ever with mankind, wish to exploit it's powers for military purposes. Can they find one then keep it safe from their well-resourced and malevolent pursuers? It's only as they encounter more and more of these usually quite benign beings that they consider whether or not these frequently beautiful and playful creatures should remain as they have been for centuries. Hidden from the eyes of man. Albeit set in a fantasy world, this does offer us a little food for thought about the relative merits of scientific advance for the sake of it, without any great consideration for the specimens or their "humanity" and there's plenty of imagination employed by auteur Dash Shaw to mix together stories of culture, religion and adventure into an enjoyable hybrid of animated creations that fantasise creatively.

Cryptozoo is an oddly-animated feature that rambles along like it was a storybook adventure crafted in the Seventies - when details were blurred in a haze and stories for children were not always safe.

Honestly, Cryptozoo accomplishes the goal of any good fantasy and science fiction story by crafting a timely tale set in a timeless fashion. Unfortunately the chosen medium and distinct art style highly restricts what should be a tale of openness and inclusion.

Animation is, theoretically, budgetless. The artist can sculpt and paint and render imaginative, unseen worlds and bring them to life. Why then does Cryptozoo look like flipbook doodles on the corners of a Dungeons & Dragons module?

The animation is certainly an acquired taste. Fortunately, its rudimentary style does not totally diminish the compelling story of social relevance. Fiction like this is what opens conversation regarding the importance of freedom and the rights of all. Including animators with questionable art styles.

Charmingly bizarre and utterly unique. This film is not for everyone. But what I appreciate about this film is that is pushes the boundaries on cinema, it preservers the voice of the filmmaker rather than peddle to market expectations.

It's also a commendable animation feat considering the small crew and budget. Hopefully it will help pave the way for more independent artists to express themselves in the future.

A veterinarian and her friend decide to save cryptids from the depredations of the world. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a cryptid is a beast which science hasn't proven exists, but which is believed to exist by many people: the yeti is one; the chupacabra is another. For the purposes of this movie, cryptids include a variety of fabulous creatures like fauns, dragons, medusas and will-o-the-wisps. The plans of these women is to start an exhibition park, where people will pay to see these creatures; once familiar with them, acceptance will be the next step.

You can't have a story without a villain -- actually you can -- and here the villain is a fellow who wants to weaponize these creatures for the military, and who has plenty of soldiers with guns, tanks, and poorly drawn helicopters to enforce his scheme. In the end, both plans fail, and the best course of action, it turns out, is to leave these beings alone; they've been doing fine for a long time without these geniuses. Or, as I heard the Einstein quote beautifully mangled, "If there weren't so many people trying to solve problems, we wouldn't have so many problems to solve."

This movie, despite its good intentions, annoyed me on many levels. The first was the easy choice of making the military the villain. The second was the general idiocy, the going 'round Robin Hood's barn to conclude that the best thing to have done at the end would have been nothing in the first place. Finally, I did not enjoy the unpolished nature of the images, the quarter animation. I understand that this was an independent production, and that the producers wrought miracles to raise enough money to make this unfortunately crude cartoon, the most expensive type of movie making. Given my dissatisfaction with the story, however, this just added to my general impression.

Cryptozoo is a zoo where cryptids are being secretly held. Lauren Grey is one of the cryptozoologists. It's 60's San Francisco. A young couple stumbles upon the zoo. The guy Mathew is killed by an unicorn. Amber is forced to kill the unicorn.

This adult animation is unlike anything in the mainstream. It very much reminds me of the outsider art of the 70's. It is a bit chaotic to the point of overwhelming the audience. This is not animation for the kids. It is the best aspect of this film. I would suggest a more cleaner and clearer story. It may be the effect of the visuals which is discombobulating my brain.