Robert Reynolds
This short won the Academy Award for Animated Short. There will be spoilers ahead:This short purports to be an examination into humanity's search for an adequate balance between meaningful work and leisure to make the work more tolerable, Like an iceberg, 9/10ths of this is below the surface.The humor is very dry, pointed and somewhat tongue in cheek, but I laughed in spots. The sum of it is that mankind has tried to regiment our leisure as rigidly and rigorously as we have every other aspect of life, with work as the hub for everything.The "startling" realization that individuals would *GASP* prefer to do what they want where and when they want is the "discovery" made after extensive study of and research into mankind's desire for leisure time. But fear not, researchers and scientists are on the case, to "help" us.Meanwhile, 38 years later and innumerable "labor saving" devices later, what with cellphones, computers, tablets and the like, for many, work has consumed more time, not less and "leisure" is becoming more like "work", with schedules, itineraries, "play dates", et cetera.This short can be found online and is well worth seeking out. Recommended.
MartinHafer
This animated film won the 1977 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film--which proves that either 1977 was the worst year in history for animation or the Academy lost its collective mind. I am not just some crank who hates animation--I love animation. No, this crank just happens to like GOOD animation and animation that isn't duller than dust!! The film itself is basically a boring lecture about the advent of leisure time combined with relatively simple animations--some of which are vaguely reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's animations from Monty Python (except the ones in LEISURE are NOT funny). If I want a lecture, I'll either enroll in a college course or read a book. When I watch animation, I want to be amused or amazed or challenged--this film did none of these.
tavm
This most deservedly Oscar-winning animated short from Australia in 1976 starts with a line drawing on white background of a man relaxing by him self. Then we see him working various jobs to achieve his leisure time. Then we go through a history of mixing work and leisure through photographs, paintings, illustrations, and other animated depictions in a collage of images all accompanied by a narrator and some flute and other music from the '70s. A very unique short that deserved its recognition, Leisure seems a wonderful '70s tribute to more innovative art forms of that adventurous decade. If you have Google Video and love animation, I definitely suggest you seek it out there.
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