Cryptozoo As cryptozookeepers struggle to capture a Baku (a legendary dream-eating hybrid creature) they begin to wonder if they should display these rare beasts in the confines of a cryptozoo, or if these mythical creatures should remain hidden and unknown.
The direction to go hand-drawn with this particular animation was definitely Off-putting to say the least but after the first 20 minutes your eyes become well aware of what’s going on. This is explicitly mature, something Adult Swim would make. I love the distinctive style, editing, transitions, and beauty of this hypnotizing work of art. If only this is what dreams were made of, enlightenment, mythical and simply breathtaking.
Sundance 2021 - Film #12
Holy sh*t... CRYPTOZOO is perhaps the WILDEST film I have EVER seen (and no, that is not an exaggeration). A thousand mile-per-hour acid trip that never lets up, it’s a Spelibergian adventure on LSD that is absolutely BONKERS and is destined to become a cult-classic
An unbelievable triumph for the world of US based adult animation. Hand drawn animation never gets old but Crytpozoo’s artists found a way to bring it to life in a new way that feels truly revolutionary.
The style was, at first, a bit confronting, but as you settle in to the mysticism of the story, the animation works better and better. The score pairs wonderfully, making it both a visual and auditory joy to experience.
Wasn’t completely in love with the story as a whole. In some ways, it feels really familiar. Familiarity is fine, but for a story rooted in cryptoids, a fascinating, mysterious subject, familiarity sticks out like a sore thumb. Luckily, as I mentioned above, the style is so captivating that any issues with story can be set aside enough to enjoy the watch.
Sundance #5
**Lauren is a woman who seeks to protect cryptids from exploitation. As a little girl, she had nightmares that were taken away by a cryptid known as a Baku. She seeks to capture it to save it from the US government.**
Barely related to anything, this movie has a reference to storming the Capital within the first two minutes.
The animation style is super unique. The first sequence reminds me of those black scratchboards you'd see in art school, where the under layer is rainbow and the top coat is black. A majority of the film is in a cool sketch and watercolor style with bright colors and jittery animation.
Above all, this movie is fucking…
I didn’t ask for acid during Sundance...but CRYPTOZOO decided to give it to me anyway in the cinematic form of this colorful & trippy animated experience. An otherworldly vision unlike anything I’ve seen before. Despite its strangeness I still found it stimulating & meaningful.
Sundance #18
"There could be magic here" -Matthew,
- 2021 Ranked: boxd.it/aL2Ys
- Sundance 2021 Ranked: boxd.it/b1NDo
I love a movie with a tarot reading scene.
This is bold, this is different, this is weird..... and I really enjoyed it! The movie is most definitely not for everyone because not everyone is ready for an abstract animated utopian/dystopian fantasy scifi erotic action thriller but I was and I feel blessed now. I like most of the animation and I really enjoyed the second and third act of the film especially. I do wish this film had been even weirder but beggars can't be choosers. The animation is beautiful and unsettling at times.
Lovingly recommended to weirdos.
P.S. The director and his partner…
More insufferable indie-bullshit courtesy of the Sundance film festival. I wanted to like this one, because I was vibing with the cool, and at times quite beautiful and evocative, hand drawn animation style at the beginning--looked sort of like the notebook of the quiet, but cool kid who sat in the back of the class and plays DnD--but as the film wore on it just got more and more tiresome. Could have been a pretty cool short film.
Sundance Film Festival 2021
Animated films are usually reserved for children, but what follows is in no way a kid’s movie. Directors Dash Shaw and Jane Samborski invite you to Cryptozoo, a fantastical world containing a collection of entities from various cultures and myths. It is a Spielberg-esque adventure only as bold as its meticulously hand-drawn animation. On the surface, everything is based purely on fiction. However, it is not far from reality, displaying many ongoing world problems such as animal cruelty.
With ambitions that aren’t ideally executed, there is a message that still be decrypted from its several allegories and themes. Even if the story doesn’t always hold your attention, the film is backed by majestic animation that surely…
“Utopias never work out.”
Cryptozoo asserts itself as an “adult cartoon” within minutes. Thematically it touches on morals, death, greed, sex, and the complexity of achieving poetic justice for all.
The cryptids are magical, hidden creatures who are collected by a woman with the best of intentions. She justifies keeping them in a zoo to normalize magical beings and to protect them from being used as weapons. About halfway through the movie, ‘the tower’ tarot card is drawn. From this moment on, the harsh reality of the world is shown.
Cryptozoo’s sense of hopelessness really hits hard during a global pandemic. The film explores the fine line between care and exploitation and reflects a critique of something similar to a white savior…
We bought a cryptozoo!
Matt Rorabeck and Eric Marchen sketch a review of writer/director Dash Shaw and animator Jane Samborski’s latest.
Listen Here: plnk.to/UMR/e/1000507113450
It didn't end up being to thematically deep, but I have to respect the time and effort it takes to make an independent animated feature.
CUFF FILM #3
A beautiful work of animation, this trippy animated film touched on really interesting issues such a ethics, morality, and exploitation, amongst other things. There are definitely a lot of metaphors and bits of symbolism involved with who the cyprids represent IRL, but that's a lot to unpack here.
Definitely not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. Great animation and voice acting with a beautiful score. Only complaint is the villain felt a bit weak.
Overall: 8/10
What a magical dreamscape of a movie. The choppy animation style feels so right for cryptids and all the other characters too. The storytelling journey starts sporadically but comes full circle.
CUFF - Calgary International Film Festival ONLINE
worth watching for the animation alone. i thought the plot was mediocre, when you compare it to the reality it sets itself in. i was hoping it would be more of a peaceful film, filled with more wonder and myth than war and violence but i guess that’s really what the film is about. i really enjoyed this either way, it’s gorgeous and scored beautifully!!
After about 5 minutes, I made the very wise decision of getting high to watch this, and it was definitely the right call.
This film is a trip.
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