Enjoying record-breaking on-site attendance, the 27th LA Shorts International Film Festival celebrated a highly animated edition this year. The Brave Locomotive, Andrew Pierce Chesworth’s homage to classic Merrie Melodies and Disney shorts, earned the Best Animation honor and immediately became qualified for Academy Award consideration. An accomplished animator, Chesworth was previously nominated for the best animated short Oscar for One Small Step, which he directed with Bobby Pontillas at TAIKO Studios.
Described in its crowdfunding campaign as “a love letter to the Andrews Sisters and 1940s animation,” Chesworth began developing the concept in 2008 and recorded the original music with Tom Hambleton in 2009. After spending many years on the shelf as Chesworth pursued his studio animation career, the Old West tale of a mighty little train facing disaster is chugging along the festival circuit and will be released online later this year.
“My crew and I couldn’t be more grateful for The Brave Locomotive winning Best Animation at its LA Shorts International Film Fest premiere!” Chesworth enthused. “The Brave Locomotive had a very long, noncontiguous production journey, so it was a profound gift to feel love reflected back by audience members. The film wouldn’t be what it is without the brilliant music by Tom Hambleton. I was thrilled to see his work get so much deserved affection in the panel after the screening!”
Additionally, the LA Shorts hosted multiple visually stunning animated films from Max’s Only You: An Animated Shorts Collection, the University of Southern California (USC) and talented indie creators such as Vishavjit Singh and Ryan Westra (American Sikh), Linda Malik and Brainstorm Productions (Willow’s Tale), Jour Majesty a.k.a. Michael C. Perry (Walls) and Chelsea Heard (Curls).
The festival dedicated Wednesday, July 26 to the bulk of its animation offerings, including a Q&A with select filmmakers and an interactive panel of animation and visual effects veterans. In attendance were representatives from Max competition films Yellow Bird and Welcome to 8th Street, The Backseat Lovers viral stop-motion music video “Snowbank Blues” and several collaborators from the 17 titles in this programming block.
Industry pros on the animation career panel included entertainment executives Terry Kalagian (Gaumont) and John Andrews (Cosmos-Maya, Los Angeles Animation Film Festival), voice director Kristi Reed (Summer Camp Island), writer/creator Jeffrey Reddick (Final Destination, Young Captain Nemo), write/actor Raymond Singer (Mulan [1998], Only Here and Now) and moderator Marlene Sharp (Sonic Boom, Young Captain Nemo). The collection of in-person ‘toon-centric events took place at Regal Cinemas LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.
As a pre-opening night treat, the Immaculate Heart Community sponsored a free LA Shorts screening of feature length documentary Rebel Hearts at Laemmle NoHo Theatre, to a packed house. This non-fiction film, which chronicles the Southern California history of the socially conscious Community and its founders, features integrated animated sequences as well as live-action footage.
“I was thoroughly impressed with the heart and soul of our animators this year,” noted festival coordinator Jared Nigro. “In a tumultuous time for the animation industry, the perspective and dedication to craft transcended any sense of hard times. Animation continues to be a powerhouse of talent. This year’s films, alongside our star-studded animation panel, proved this to be truer than ever.”
Find more information about the LA Short International Film Festival at lashortsfest.com.
