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2. Law And Order: BFD

by This American Life

2 years ago

1. Quimby The Mouse

by This American Life

2 years ago

A video put together by Chris Ware for our spring 2009 event "This American Life -- Live!" -- in which Ira Glass hosts an actual episode of the radio program, performed onstage by some of our favorite contributors. Dan Savage, Starlee Kine, and Mike Birbiglia told stories; David Rakoff and Dave Hill conducted a ‘special investigation. Plus, additional visuals by Arthur Jones, and a very special appearance by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

You'll be able to hear the episode online here:
thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=379

The song in this video is "Eugene" by Andrew Bird. Animation by John Kuramoto. Permission to post this video has been granted by the contributors.

Credits

1,621 Likes

Alap Shah
1 day ago
Juan Delcan
1 day ago
R. Schaupp
3 days ago
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3 days ago
Olga Klimova
4 days ago
Mohamed Zakzouk
6 days ago
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1 week ago
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Tags

Jake White 2 years ago

Awesome. I LOVE the music. Fun piece. I've been wanting to find this song since seeing the movie at the live taping here in NY. Thanks Ira!
ZAFFI Pictures 2 years ago

Very cool...in and old skool nu skool way
Natalie Quinn 2 years ago

Loved it!
lou suSi 2 years ago

fr!kken genius! hoo hoo!
Janet Schafer 2 years ago

Since when is abuse funny? I find this very offensive.
Kevin Brown 2 years ago

Janet, please read my post below. I understand your point completely, but I believe sincerely that you've taken this piece the wrong way (as have some others).
Kevin Brown 2 years ago

Agreed this is an incredible piece (as usual) from Mr. Ware. But I also agree with Janet to a degree, although I do not find it offensive, rather quite sad. The female mouse is actually his protagonist here. This is her tragic story, not Quimby's comedy. Janet, you should seek out more of Chris Ware's work. You'll understand when you see more. I would hate for you to write him off because this piece struck you the wrong way. I can easily see how it could have, but I promise you, a misogynist he definitely is not.
Scott Sickles 2 years ago

I didn't find it offensive, myself. I did find it harrowing and disturbing: sadism and helplessness from which there is no escape. Am I taking it too seriously? At any rate, it's certainly a beautifully crafted and profoundly evocative piece and I'll certainly seek out more of Chris Ware's work. Thanks for your post, Kevin. It was very helpful.
Michelle Moore 2 years ago

Hey Jake, et al. The song is Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire: Eugnene

lyricstime.com/andrew-bird-s-bowl-of-fire-eugene-lyrics.html
RaceFox 2 years ago

Yer, have to agree with some others.. it's a lovely crafted piece but doesn't exactly warm your cockles. I actually stopped watching after she started beating the head about on the table but carried on thinking I might miss a happy ending with a point. Sadly I dont think I did.
Brian Williams 2 years ago

arent you bored of happy ending yet?
Charles Pieper 2 years ago

So brilliant! Wonderful, all around wonderful!
Anna Lind 2 years ago

Thanks for the lyrics, Michelle. I don't think I totally understand them but I don't understand the video either. They go well together. Eerie, enigmatic, compelling and worthy of further thought. Wiki's discussion of Chris Ware's Quimby helped. I admit to identifying with the love-hate relationship in this piece and vow to be a nicer person.
Jesse Dangerously 2 years ago

Yeah the thing about Chris Ware (whom I adore) is that when he ever uses the form of humour, it isn't with the intent of provoking mirth. It almost invariably serves the end of making things hurt more. As far as I can tell, his artistic mandate is to make you hurt as much as possible, whether it's recognizing terrible things in yourself or aching with sympathy or drawn in by loathing or... lots of other really distressing things.

I had an averse reaction when Quimby slapped the head on the table because that's awful to contemplate. But it SHOULD be awful... so I appreciate this much more than, say, Family Guy or South Park where abuse are treated as neutral ground for hilarious laffs.

I think any resemblance to a joke in Chris Ware's work should be read as sarcastic first. "Making light" is simply not what he does.
Mike Scott 2 years ago

Iiiiii looooooove thiiiiiiis
smallone 2 years ago

good!
Ricardo Rodrigues 2 years ago

cool!
Karen Abad 2 years ago

Oh noes! Quimby the mouse!!!
Tali 2 years ago

amazing! love it! :)
Jason Brooks 2 years ago

Absolutely brilliant - which came first - the song or the story?

Real nice.

jason
Santiago Méndez 2 years ago

Absolutely beautiful. Wonderful animation, story and music (by one of my recently discovered favorite musicians).

And regarding the issue of abuse as funny, Chuck Jones made a career out of making fun of tragedies. I'm perfectly fine with someone not liking it, but to question it, seems rather silly at this point.
Rawls 2 years ago

Awesome!!! Really great work!!
Chris Chung 2 years ago

Is this named after Quimby's in Chi-town?
Dennie Bright 2 years ago

Quimby's in chicago uses the mouse as the mascot but they really don't have much connection. There's a blurb about it on Quimby's website.
Peter deVroede 2 years ago

I immediately thought of Fred Quimby, the producer who oversaw the production of a lot of the Tom and Jerry cartoons at MGM. In tribute the name Quimby is used in a lot of animation, including the Simpsons (Mayor Quimby).
Jarbas Agnelli 2 years ago

Brilliant minimalism!
Jonathan Tanner 2 years ago

After years of watching Tom and Jerry and Itchy and Scratchy (The Simpsons) I don't find this movie disturbing or offensive - I thoroughly recommend those titles to the people here who think this is disturbing... It is without a doubt though an incredible piece of animation.
nosuchthing.nl 2 years ago

Absolutely fantastic! Seeing Ware's art 'alive' surely adds to it!
Gabriel Shalom 2 years ago

first -- its amazing that Chris Ware's drawings have finally come to life in animation! I feel like I've been waiting for that for years ever since I started reading the comics.

second -- this isn't a funny piece, its a sad piece, as are all of Chris Ware's comics. Regarding the objection to a depiction of abuse, can't we be sophisticated enough to see an animated mouse protagonist without feeling automatic sympathy for the character? Isn't the mouse's apparent sadism a nice contrast to sugar-coated Mickey? And lastly, doesn't a film which provokes a nuanced reading of an abusive relationship do more for us as an intelligent audience than something polarizing and condemning?

I strongly believe that there is high artistic value in art which provokes discomfort or unease, as it often is capable of allowing us to reflect on ourselves. Art which doesn't provoke us to think is rarely more than vapid entertainment.
Daniel Donaldson 2 years ago

"Since when is abuse funny?"... Hmmm - since Aristophanes?

"Harrowing and disturbing...". I find Auschwitz harrowing and disturbing. This not as much.

Such dear sweet and utterly misplaced sensitivity . But if you're really worried about it, you should look into this thing called Darfur. Or Waterboarding. Or for that matter Charlie Chaplin. What? What's that? Charlie Chaplin and Chris Ware are the kinds of things that leads to people becoming Janjaweed? Oh, in that case, mark me down as Truly Offended.
Alex Amelines 2 years ago

That was beautiful! Chris Ware's work is as aseptic as ever. Never heard of Andrew Bird before, but I loved his music, I want to hear more. I wish I'd had the chance to animate Ware's work, or put images to Bird's sounds.
Mark Walczak 2 years ago

Nice, clean animation. I really like your aesthetic!
Daniel CB 2 years ago

cacildis!!!
docaraio!!
tritochke 2 years ago

Way to brilliant !!!!!! :)
GLC 2 years ago

After coming down the stairs past pictures of a joyess Quimby and stone faced wife/head he sits at the table waiting for for his dinner. After contemplating he gets his wife/head down from the cupboard and shows her there is nothing in the refrigerator. He slaps his bodiless/helpless head for not having food in the refrigerator, as if she alone can get the food. This makes her cry enough to float out of the kitchen and to a place to fish. There he uses her as bait to catch food where he loses her in the water. After losing her he has to buy his own fish where he discovers her inside a fish and is overjoyed to see her. But he ends up putting her back into the cupboard for later use. Oh Quimby the Mouse clearly just uses her for personal gain & pleasure with no regard for her what so ever. She's just a tool!
We've all known a Quimby the Mouse. Haven't we?
Brian Williams 2 years ago

incredible
Kijek / Adamski 2 years ago

The story goes great with Andrew's music.
mootalle 2 years ago

oh joy! thank you :)
Bailey Morrison 2 years ago

I like it, but all I could think of was Laci Peterson.
KIBORZ 2 years ago

Bravo!!!
MUSCLEBEAVER 2 years ago

Absolutely wonderful!
Niels Gabel 2 years ago

❤
Dario Ayala 2 years ago

I really love this track...
Does anyone know what the chord progression for the rhythm guitar? I'd <3 4 eva!
Alejandra C.R. 2 years ago

I loved ittt!!!!!
scaryBasement 2 years ago

Chris Ware is a master of many things, but foremost among them is discomfort and awkwardness. That you might feel offended or upset it almost certainly intentional.
Brian Williams 2 years ago

wow some people that have commented here are so over sensitive to this its a cartoon its hilarious its not real abuse and doesnt soften abuse or desensitize people too it ...reading to much into things/misinterpretation is the main source of conflict in this world. Stop doing it its silly.

beautiful cartoon loved every second of it especially the song.

peace

brian
jose sauco 2 years ago

To portray peoples’ reactions as over sensitive is missing the mark. I started watching it thinking it was going to be funny. Then I was shocked. I understand the previous comments stating the artistic value of the piece due to the artists’ prior work. But to compare this to Chuck Jones, Tom & Jerry, Family Guy etc… is crazy. They were going for laughs, this hopefully isn’t.
I hate it when people tell me I can’t fell horror over this because compared to the holocaust this is nothing. Compared to Darfur this is nothing. I know this is a “cartoon” but do I need to remember the deaths of millions of people to level my shock meter. My daughter is autistic, well at least she’s not living in Nazi Germany where she would have been killed. Alright, I fell much better now, thanks for telling me how to feel.
Thin skin out.
Brian Williams 2 years ago

yes... thank you for beautifully demonstrating my point.
Baris Gursel 2 years ago

Amazing, i am a big fan of Chris Ware's comic style and i am so glad to see his works animated.
grooveworker 2 years ago

fantastic
Samir Bellare 2 years ago

I've got no words to praise you. Absolutely loved it!! Such a cute story and so well synchronized with the music (which was great). Please keep posting such awesome stuff...truly inspirational.
Geri Mitchell 2 years ago

Reminds me of my last marriage. Definitely sad with a dose of futility and some measure of obsessive love. Yes, I married a sociopath. Beware, they walk among us.
Paweł /betrzy 2 years ago

Awesome!

What programs were used?
rickflick 2 years ago

Works for me. Congrats!
ranran 2 years ago

chris ware is my most favourite ever
jonfreeze 2 years ago

Ok, after reading some comments and watching the short 3 times, I've come to my own conclusion of this story. In simple terms, "You can't live with them, you can't without them" In the end you'll always love them.
Sandy Chase 2 years ago

I agree that this is disturbing: the mix of cute characters, witty scenarios and playful music with an unimaginably tragic situation. But the best pathos is infused with humor (take the many witty lines of Shakespeare's soul-crushingly brutal "Titus Andronicus".)

I think this animation does come across as light, ironic, and sad. A little like some scenes from the movie "Natural Born Killers." The risk of that is making abuse and violence laughable. But good art takes risks. Ultimately, this piece is thought-provoking and disturbing, and it shines a light on some aspect of truth that we all recognize, and most will find difficult to look at.
Igor Stanojevic 2 years ago

This is either devastating or I don't get it, but either way, it's a fantastic piece of animation.
Andrew Motley 2 years ago

this is not quite as bleak and sad as some of wares other stories. seems to me that all of chris wares work is dark comedy. i personally love the ACME novelty library, but have heard others say that its too depressing. it was pretty sweet seeing quimby animated and not just on a zootrope.
catesuzu 2 years ago

I have this feeling like the B/Wscreen and cute face.
radio codec 2 years ago

awesome! great!
Jacques Alomo 2 years ago

Great video! Reminds me of the Cat & Mouse video by David OReilly! You got featured on the showreelarchive.com
Jonathan Ogden 2 years ago

Haha! Nice :D Very slick animation, the boat sequence especially!
Lippy 1 year ago

A brilliant realization of Ware's artwork/aesthetic into animation. Bravo!
mpared 1 year ago

cool posted at the curious brain
Slipdraft 1 year ago

i think that this video is really great, thank you boys you make this thing that turns the sullen frowners in to sunshine smiles with strong sharp teeth
Marilyn Johnny 1 year ago

Very Cute
Ed Beals 1 year ago

Wonderful! So glad I went in search of this!
lackar 1 year ago

this is sooooooo lovely! love it!
emotional lag /// visualbasic 1 year ago

lo habia visto hace un monto y me super gusto, nose como llegue otra ves aca, buenisimo!!
Koko Sek 1 year ago

very good!
Gene Rodriguez 1 year ago

love this!
Rafael Vadelate 8 months ago

awesome!!! i love the characters!!! :D
Benescual 7 months ago

The mouse married with a head? =)) LOL
Very nice animation and GG work!
Yenu 5 months ago

Chris Ware is a Master, a Genius, my Hero!
quintanet 4 months ago

Sad reality. Congratulations.