Rocks

This little gem appeared on the Animation Show Volume 1, which I can only recommend. If you found this film then you'll like it.

I wont give the plot away but it's really clever and supremely executed. The use of stop motion is extra fitting. The voice acting is also very good, at least as far as I could understand the German.

Technically this deserves any awards it won. It must have taken forever to coordinate and set up the quite complex shots. I'm not sure weather they dabbled in digital imagery but I think we can assume it. The core of the film is the charming stop-motion however.

If you managed to find this page, and read this review, then you really should take the final step and track down this short. In todays digital age it wont be too hard. It's really worth it.

memorable, smart, funny, original, flawlessly executed... what else can i tell you about 'das rad', without spoiling any future viewing experience (if there will be a chance for one)? this one really stood out among this year's oscar contenders. i am truly disappointed the academy decided to give the golden guy to yet another big studio product instead of rewarding this little (but by no means insignificant) movie. i was really touched by the story: i think what we (humans) really need in a trying time like that is a proper perspective towards what our species is getting itself into. 'das rad' gives you that, and manages to make its point despite its short running time. a real gem, go see it if you have a chance. bravo stenner & uidel!

They say that good art is something that once seen changes one's perspective forever. If so this short qualifies. Once you see it you'll always be a bit aware of the rock's perspective of time.

Bravo on an really well-conceived short film.

While I won't go so far as to say this "deserved" the Academy Award for Short Animation more than any other nominee (it was a very good field and the winner, The Chubbchubbs, was also extremely good), I do consider this an extraordinary short and would have had no problems with it winning. In this, it becomes quite clear that time is truly relative and that longevity is all a matter of perspective. At times funny and unsettling (often in the same instant), you'll think about this for a while and really should watch it more than once. You'll never quite see rocks in the same way again. In a just and fair world, this would be readily available. Hopefully, it will be sometime soon. This has aired on the Sundance Channel as part of Shorts Program 114 and was also part of the initial program for The Animation Show still currently in release in some areas. By all means, see it if you can. Well worth the effort. Most highly recommended.

I have had the privilege of seeing all the nominees for Best Animated Short for the Oscars in 2003. What got me interested in seeing all of them is a review for THE CATHEDRAL (also a nominee) in which the reviewer complained that this film, not CHUBBCHUBB! deserved the Oscar. Well, after seeing them all, I really think CHUBBCHUBB! should have probably won, though DAS RAD is very, very close--so close that I really think the makers should be commended--especially since CHUBBCHUBB! was made by a huge corporation (the same people that made the CGI feature SURF'S UP) and DAS RAD was a much smaller scale production. Also, DAS RAD has one of the most original concepts I've ever seen. While CHUBBCHUBB! is funnier and probable more fun for the average viewer, DAS RAD makes you think and the idea of the world as seen through the eyes of large rocks is amazingly different. And what also was exceptional was the idea that rocks are such slow and permanent creatures that the world around them appears to go at lightning fast speed! Clever and wonderful--see this short.