A teenage boy goes to his friend’s birthday party where the parents are surprising all the boys attending with a gift for their son that will change all these boys forever.
Written and directed by Andy London and Carolyn London, this short animation that is currently playing on the festival circuit is an almost 8 minutes coming-of-age story that is full of visuals that feel familiar to anyone who has been a teenage and anyone who has lived in the early 1980s. Of course, a few elements here are slightly to completely unusual. The late 1970s and early 1980s were a whole different world to what we know now, and certain things were likely to be tolerated even when fully inappropriate. This is a story where current sensibilities need to be hung in the coat-closet or put in the back of the mind to be able to fully be appreciative of what is on the screen. The writing and direction are interesting here, and they do lead to an entertaining film overall.
The animation here will work great for some, but if you get migraines from visual stimilus, this film is a nightmare. The drawings for the animation are good, the rustic look to them is mostly great, but the constantly “shivering” look to everything, how the images are never fully stable make it incredibly difficult to watch for those who suffer from flashing light/oddly moving images. With that issue in mind, the quality of the animation should work great with festival crowds and those who love less glossy animation styles.
The voice acting here is great; it may come off as “a bit much” here and there to some, but with the story and the animation style, it’s how one character remembers the scenes, so the voices are also a part of this. Only a few names are listed on the IMDb page for this short film, but all 4 of them deserve props, so the voice case here is composed of Tony DiMurro, Alexei London, Carolyn London, Minnie Tonka and few other people most likely. Everyone here does well with the voice acting in keeping it in spirit with their characters and the story as well as the film’s style.
1981 is an interesting watch that will not be for everyone. While this reviewer appreciated the story and style of the film, the constantly moving images, like vibrating almost, were an issue. Outside of this, this short film is quirky and interesting, and one many should enjoy (or at least be surprised by).