Best of Children's Film Festival Seattle - Ages 5 & Up
"Little Red Plane"
Synopsis: Little Red Plane is a stop motion animation that features knitted sets and characters.
"Snowflakes and Carrots"
Synopsis: An animated short. A little girl steals all of the carrots that she can find on snowmen.
"Love Bug"
Synopsis: Nine-year old Turtle Thompson thinks his bug loving best friend Maddy is the coolest girl in the whole wide world. If only he had the guts to ask her to the Spring Fling Dance.
"Trevor"
Trevor is an animated short that explores the imagination of a 7-year-old sleepless boy.
"Olga"
The story of an energetic, fun-loving pig named Olga, who normally loves to be around her friends and have fun, but every so often feels a little depressed and lonely.
Mungge Not Again!
Sleepwalking can be very dangerous, especially if two marmots and a hedgehog are trying to rescue their sleeping friend.
"The Driving Accident"
During an afternoon of play a young boy must use his wits and creativity to recover from a minor tragedy.
"Adventures Of Owen"
Owen, a socially awkward little boy, finds he can express himself through his drawings of Spaceman X
"Violoncello"
A musical animation.
"Big Drive"
The story of a family road trip across the Canadian prairies set in the 1970s. An exuberant exploration of childhood imagination, the animated film invites audiences of all ages to see the world as it appears “from the back seat.”
***
Screening with the short films "Floyd the Android" and "Notes on Biology."
"Floyd the Android"
Floyd the Android is an animated robot who gets into crazy situations, but always manages a clever escape. The project is actually two very short films combined to give a broader view of his world. In 'iPorter' he plays with a novelty teleporter, and gets thoroughly beside himself. In 'Dim Bulb' he attempts to change the light bulb at the very top of the highest skyscraper on earth. When he falls, his only hope is a 30 foot tall rubber chicken.
"Notes on Biology"
Kids Shorts - 10 & Up
"Ills"
Measles, mumps, scary bumps. Chills, pills, and doctor bills ...a musical.
"Knights of the Playground"
Kyle and Billy were best friends until a princess came between them. Or was it a dragon? Depends who you ask...
"Gettin' Kicks"
In this dramedy about growing up in the inner-city, 12-year old Eric gets his brand new sneakers taken by the neighborhood bully, who flings them across a telephone-wire littered with the shoes of his past victims. Eric and his friends have to figure out other ways to liberate his shoes... and deal with the bully.
"Hugzilla"
HUGZILLA is a comedy about how joy can out-muscle misery.
"A Pony for Connie"
In 60s suburbia, a young boy settles upon an unconventional way to help his sister cope with the heartbreak of their parents' divorce.
"Tuurngait"
An Inuit child wanders away from his village, fascinated by a wild bird. His father follow his trail, determined to find him before he gets lost on the ice floe.
"Test Subject B"
Take one 10 year-old boy genius, add a little extra free time, and mix with the frustration of yet another family move. The result? Nicholas has determined once and for all to plan his own destiny--by building a time machine. But when the initial tests go awry, particularly the one involving his little sister Bethany, Nicholas must scramble back in time to set things straight... before his mother finds out.
"Barney and the Martians"
An old man and a young boy bond while trying to contact Martians on an old ham radio.
"Dumbleweed"
The road is a very scary place for a tumbleweed. Especially when you have to cross it to save Christmas.
Somewhere Between tells the intimate stories of four teenaged girls, all from different parts of the U.S., all from different kinds of families. However, they are all united by one common thread: they were adopted from China because all had birth parents who could not keep them, due to personal circumstances colliding with China's "One Child Policy". These strong young women communicate what it is like to come-of-age in today's America as trans-racial adoptees. At the same time, we see them as typical American teenagers, doing what teenagers everywhere do, struggle to make sense of their lives. Through these young women and their explorations of who they are, we, ourselves, pause to consider who we are - both as individuals and as a nation of immigrants. Somewhere Between thoughtfully explores issues related to identity, racism, gender and self-acceptance.
Wolfy has embarked on a journey of self-discovery. “I want to eat the world!” he declares and sets out for an adventure. Throughout his journey, Wolfy meets a curious array of puppets, such as a one-winged Italian Bird, a double-headed French dragon, and a sparkly British Master of the land. Through music, play, and dance, Wolfy is challenged to confront matters of the heart and mind; as he questions the nature of art and beauty, his journey suggests that he engage in a higher cause: to save the land from loosing its color.
Wolfy’s Journey is puppeteer Leat Klingman’s first featurette, it includes eight songs, and is intended for all ages (but is especially appropriate for those 4-8). The puppets’ realm and sensibilities aspire to communicate above an age limit and spread joy and art in the hearts of all.
Check out the trailer here: http://wolfysjourney.com/trailer/
***
Screening with the short film "Sidewalk Symphony."
Directed by Jonathan Salemi
Kids' Narrative Short | USA | 8 min.
A 12 year old boy gets his Ipod taken away, and instead uses his imagination to make music with the environment around him.
Kwark, a great wizard finds a special egg in the enchanted Witches’ Wood. This egg produces not a bird, but a little girl, a mini-witch, who he names Fuchsia. At her request, he sends her to the mini-witches’ school, where Fuchsia’s magic skills seem to be in need of improvement and often lead to mayhem rather than success. While at her new school, Fuchsia befriends a boy named Tommy whom she quickly discovers has a mindless uncle who plans to tear down the Witches’ Wood to build a motorway. There’s only one thing to do: together Fuchsia and Tommy must join powers to save the Witches’ Wood.
Fuchsia is a likeable, independent heroine who, despite her mistakes, always manages to bring out the best in people. Sidewalk is proud to present Fuchsia The Mini Witch, a Disney Studios - Netherlands film.
From internationally renowned animation auteur Michel Ocelot, Tales of the Night weaves together six exotic fables, each unfolding in a unique locale, from Tibet, to medieval Europe, an Aztec kingdom, the African plains, and even the Land of the Dead. In Ocelot’s storytelling, history blends with fairytale as viewers are whisked off to enchanted lands full of dragons, werewolves, captive princesses, sorcerers, and enormous talking bees - and each fable ends with its own ironic twist. Ocelot extends his earlier shadow puppet style and combines it with black-silhouetted characters set off against exquisitely detailed Day-Glo backgrounds bursting with color and kaleidoscopic patterns. The animated film is whimsical, stunningly ornate and perfectly charming. In an age when Pixar and DreamWorks titles are intensely prolific, the timeless and beautiful magic of Ocelot’s classically approached Tales of the Night is a refreshing change.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dX2k8w766U
**
Screening with the short film "Dream Cleaners."
Meet Artie and Rex, professional Dream Cleaners. A night out on the job takes a turn south when Rex goofs off and causes their Dream Cleaning truck to malfunction. Now the dreams of their target, a young kid, start spilling into reality.
The Whale tells the true story of a young, wild killer whale, an orca, nicknamed Luna, who lost contact with his family on the coast of British Columbia and turned up alone in a narrow stretch of sea in a place called Nootka Sound. Orcas are social and live with their families all their lives. An orca who gets separated usually just fades away and dies. Luna was alone, but he didn’t fade away. There weren’t any familiar orcas in Nootka Sound, but there were people, in boats and on the shore. So he started trying to make contact. And people welcomed him. Most of them.
Narrated by Ryan Reynolds, the eye-opening documentary The Whale explores the true nature of friendship and celebrates the life of a smart, lovable, determined, transcendent being from the other world of the sea.
Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrrVDQEz5L0
