MartinHafer
In a way, I feel bad about this film because the staff at Aardman Productions really tried hard but it's natural for there to be comparisons to Aardman's biggest stars, Wallace & Gromit. However, Steve Box, who directed this short, is the same person who has also paired up with Nick Park for some of Aardman's best works--including CHICKEN RUN and several of the Wallace & Gromit films. So, such comparisons really aren't fair at all and not every Aardman film can be Wallace & Gromit.However, if you were to think that perhaps the quality of STAGE FRIGHT is a bit below that of the Wallace & Gromit films, then this would be correct--it is very good, just not quite as good. Nor does it look quite as good as the Shaun the Sheep films, though these are newer and represent the studio at its best--having learned and perfected their craft with many films--including STAGE FRIGHT.The film is about a man and woman who have a trained dog act. Tiny juggles his chihuahuas and has them do lovely tricks, but the audience is bored, as movies are now the rage. So, his lady friend, who loves Tiny, agrees to do some films with a boorish jerk who hates the dogs but knows he can make money by using them in his films. Eventually, though, his abusiveness and thoughtfulness is too much--leading to a rather grim and gruesome ending.This is a lovely stop-motion animated film and I can see why it won the BAFTA--even if it isn't the best thing that ever came from Aardman. Heck, that's because EVERYTHING that comes from Aardman is fantastic!
Robert Reynolds
This is a short produced by Aardman Animations, with a bit more pathos than the other shorts the studio is known for, though there is a dark humor interspersed throughout the short, particularly one bit towards the end, one that will induce a chuckle that's more like a gasp with a small bubble of blood at the end.The short has the feel of the old melodramas to it, which is understandable, given that the setting is a theater and the plot revolves around an old-time vaudeville act, a dog juggling act which has seen better days (an aside-in vaudeville, the "dog act" was typically placed at the end of the show, in order to clear out the audience in preparation for the next performance). What follows next may be a mild spoiler: There's a charm to this short that I can't really explain. It's an old story-the shy, timid fellow, his girl and the bully who wants the girl and hates the timid fellow. But it also shows that you never know what you're capable of until your back is up against the wall and even the most beaten-down of us has some spark if pushed far enough, as happens here.This short is included on the recent DVD release of Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, as a DVD extra and is well worth watching. Recommended.
maggysimms
I think this movie stands out from the rest of the Nick Park stable because it is basically not funny and not meant to be - it is slightly disturbing and thought-provoking, whereas we are used to funny little Gromit and bumbling wallace chasing cheese. It shows an excellent command of historical context - the transition from vaudeville / music hall to movies. But man, is it strange. don't show it your little nephews unless you really want them up all night! Incidentally I think the little chap is called 'Tiny', not Tinny as in earlier review. The movie puts me in mind of that one about the murderous ventriloquist dummy, the title of which completely evades me.
emasterslake
This is a stop motion animated film done by the same people who did Wallace and Gromit, which is the Aardman Company.It's directed and written by Nick Park's friend, Steve Box.The story focuses on a short man name Tinny who's talent is doing a Dog Act with his fellow Dogs. The trouble is people didn't want to see Dog Tricks, they want movies.Tinny grew guilt and same that they don't like his act. His girlfriend tries to cheer him up, only she has other things in mind, such as becoming a successful actress. She loves Tinny, it's just she wants to do her career in show business.She stars with Hugh a rude and revolting movie actor. He hates Tinny and demands that he quits his dog act.The plot to this animated short is a little dry in a way. The dialog is a bit flawed with slightly bad English accents in which it's slightly hard to understand sometimes.It's still a nice short to watch. Just not as worthy as Wallace and Gromit or Creature Comforts.There's nothing too inappropriate in this short, just know that if a kid's watching this he or she wouldn't understand the story too well, due the the dialog.My rate: 7/10
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