Television shows from our childhood are generally thought of with fond nostalgia. Those fabricated happy worlds with a cast of fantastically costumed characters seemed to embody only the good in life. But what happens to the images of those beloved fictional characters when they are revisited decades later? We ourselves change with time and with a new perspective; often they do too. Masked characters like Barney, Teletubbies, or Mr. Blobby appear way more bizarre now — suddenly you notice their exposed costume seams and cringe-worthy actions. We can’t help but inject adult reality into those on-screen worlds and ultimately think less about the characters and more about the actors underneath.
In “Pombo Loves You,” filmmaker Steve Warne investigates the life and psyche of one these costumed actors, years after his show has ended. This short first premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2016, received accolades at SXSW for animation, and is now making its online debut today as a Staff Pick Premiere. Haunted by a tragic accident, the man who once embodied the masked character Pombo — the mascot of an ‘80s children’s TV show reminiscent of Global Guts — tries to leave the Pombo suit and its associated past tucked away in storage. The protagonist, Grif, is now focused on being a better parent to his child, Bronwyn, and his love for jazz. But when Bronwyn unearths the mask of Pombo one night, waves of memories from Grif’s old life and the on-screen accident come flooding back as his past and present battle for control of his mind.
Warne’s style transforms this battle for control into one of the most fun animation shorts we’ve sat down with all year. The visuals and musical score closely mirror Grif’s mind as it falters between past and present, Pombo and himself, and struggles for control. Warne, whose animation you’ve seen in films like Frankenweenie and will see in Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs, has created an energized, live-action style of animation. With the help of Alistair Little’s camera movements, this short brings a fresh approach to the genre of stop motion. Warne explains, “With stop-frame there can be a real fear of moving the camera and sometimes you end up with a lot of locked off shots that kind of point down into the set and animation plays out like a puppet show. ‘Pombo Loves You’ was a conscious effort to get away from that and get the camera down at the puppet’s level.” By improvising movement within shots and blending ‘80s style and visuals with the incredible jazz score, Warne adeptly translates to the viewer the same off-the-wall mental state as Grif. It’s a story and a world that sucks you in. So strap in, “Pombo Loves You” is a wild ride.
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