Vincent

The art of the short film is one that is all too often overlooked by larger production companies. Which is just downright silly, really - OK, chances are they will provide less huge financial returns, but companies can afford to lose the odd dollar here and there, especially when films like "Vincent" are at stake. Funded by the Walt Disney Company whilst they were nurturing a budding young animator called Tim Burton, "Vincent" is a lovely little exposé on the secret thoughts that lurk in the back of most little children's brains. Lawks - I know they lurked in the back of mine.

Based on a poem that Burton composed himself, Vincent tells the story of a little boy who wants to grow up to be just like Vincent Price, the popular horror actor, and Burton's childhood idol. The narrative has a sing-song feel to it, and therefore retains an added grizzly-little-child-like nature, and the cinematography is a triumph, harking back to the classic B-movie horror films that Burton (and myself) grew up on. Vincent Price was, it seems, just as much an icon for Burton as for me: "House of Wax", "The Fly", "Theatre of Blood" - these are all films that made a great impression on Burton as a child.

Among other influences within the short are Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shelley, both of course prolific horror writers that have inspired many films themselves. It is clear that Burton was going on to great, great things - as indeed he did - and it says a great deal about the company that agreed to fund this unknown's obvious talents. It's sad to say, however, that there was little Disney felt it could do with the film (without damaging it's reputation as the family-friendly Mouse Factory), and so it remains largely unseen by most people (with the exception of those who see it at film festivals, and on laserdisc).

"Vincent" is, to my knowledge, the first major use of claymation, the animation technique that featured in "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas", directed by Henry Selick; and therefore a breakthrough in animation technique. More short films should be made to test the viability of such new devices - just like Disney's "Flowers and Trees" and "Steamboat Willie" were breakthroughs with their use of colour and sound respectively. But all too often, these new devices are left to major motion pictures (like the use of the IMAX format in "Fantasia 2000", and the new CGI animation Deep Canvas, being pioneered in "Tarzan"). The short film is an ideal way of discovering exciting new additions to cinema - both in technique, and in directing, acting and photography.

For more information about "Vincent", and to see some of the concept sketches that went into the creation of the movie, I highly recommend "Burton on Burton", a loose autobiography of Tim Burton's work so far. It certainly has lots to say about short films - when the running time is five minutes, as opposed to the standard hundred-odd minutes provided by a main feature, there is also a lot less scope for things to go drastically wrong. And practically nothing in "Vincent" does - it is a diverting, amusing and gruesomely imaginative addition to Burton's work, and also to Disney's showcase. All in all, "Vincent" is a sterling little film, with lots to recommend it, and a fine example of Burton's early work!