14th INTERNATIONAL TOURNEE OF ANIMATION

Like the 11th, 12th and 13th Tournees which have been hits at previous Festivals, this year's compilation of animated short films is no exception. The program includes 18 award-winning films representing Canada, France, Great Britain, Holland, Hungary, the USA and Yugoslavia. The best of the shorts are uniquely imaginative, and overall the program is broader and more dramatic than last year's. Some of the best include Grand Prix winner “Crossing the Atlantic in a Small Boat” and, from the Zagreb animation studio, “Satiemania.” Also included are last year's Academy Award winner “Special Delivery,” as well as nominees “Oh My Darling” and “Rip Van Winkle.” Because animation by its nature is the most costly and laborious of the motion picture forms – minute for minute anyhow – the lack of steady studio financing has forced the animated film into the status of an endangered species.”The best stuff is still matchless.” – Charles Champlin, Los Angeles Times