Saturday, April 12, 2008

Film #33: Special Delivery

This cartoon, by John Weldon and Eunice Macauley, is one of the funniest bits of animation I have ever seen. Everything works together: the soapy organ music, the inventive scripting, the sardonic narration, and the fun colored-pencil animation style. I saw this on HBO in the 1980s, not long after it took home an Oscar in 1978 for Best Animated Short. I remember being slightly shocked at the sight of a nude man in the piece, but also remember regarding the inclusion as one of the movie's funniest bits. Special Delivery is a high point for the National Film Board of Canada, and that's saying a lot, since they're the tops when it comes to animated and live action shorts. It's a favorite of both mine and my mother's--we would laugh hysterically at each and every turn in the story, no matter how many times we saw it! I know she'll be glad to catch it again. And if you're seeing it for the first time...Enjoy!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

WOW!! I'm so glad to see this again! You're right...I remember our laughing at this everytime we saw it. It's certainly timeless, because it's still just as funny. I love the art work; it looks like simple drawings done with colored pencils. And the organ music reminds me of the old dramatic soap opera music. Thanks for including this one. BTW, did you notice the sign "Beware of the Cops" outside the police station? Funny!