The Mind's Eye

I recently found a copy for $5 at a video store, and snapped it up eagerly. While the music and (obviously) graphics aren't up to the standards of my favorite of the series, Beyond the Mind's Eye, I am still entranced by one segment:

Stanley and Stella in "Breaking the Ice". The music is brilliant, and the emotions feel real. The clip on Odyssey's website doesn't have the story nor the music, unfortunately.

This has to be the all time best computer animation classic. Even though most of the animations where experiments. They have an artistic quality that has stood the test of time. Twelve years after it's release, I have gone back to watch this video and found some inspiration for new types of computer graphics. Some of the techniques used in this video have never been full explored.

Yes that's right this is the movie that began the whole Mind's Eye series. The start of the 90s began the start of a computer animated sensation. The Mind's Eye is a 40 minute film about abstract computer art. This film produces the latest in advanced computer animations. Even though the animation capabilities are from 1990, the film is still remarkable. The animations take you to new dimensions! Also the music is quite stunning. They really don't make music like they used to. This electronic music sets your mind free to new possibilities. This is the first in the long line of computer imagery that stretched throughout the 90s. The people at Mind's Eye have made a masterpiece. You really need to check out this movie out. Now that it is 12 years old it is very cheap. You could probably find a copy for 5 dollars. Don't miss out this is computer animation at its finest!

Although by now this looks very blocky by today's CGI standards (I can do better stuff on KPT Bryce), I am still captivated by this priceless compilation of CGI experiments, and the way the artists did what they did with the then-limited rendering technologies they had at their disposal. True, alot of this is done in an abstract or cubist fashion, but this to me only adds to the intrigue. Many of these images are so amazing, even in their relative simplicity, that they stick with you for a long time. Take 40 minutes of your evening to enjoy this mesmerizing feast of eye candy.

As a kid, I loved computer animation although it was EXTREMELY limited and the tools were almost nonexistent. This movie, as I sat in awe and watched the amazing images and almost-hypnotic music, shaped the desire in me to create moving things in the computer. This is a whole-package deal, between the music and the video, that really packs a one-two punch. If you know any child that wants to get involved in computer animation, this is a MUST HAVE.

I still, almost 20 years later, rate this movie as one of my top 3 favorites. The originality, I think, is still unsurpassed by most of today's McMovies that Hollywood spits out. I am currently wanting to see if I can re-make it on my own; if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then this movie deserves a TON of imitation =)