MartinHafer I was a huge fan of the first Animation Show disk, so I was sure to see this second collection. However, I was very disappointed because the films just weren't very funny--as they tended towards "arsty-fartsy" films that just made my head hurt.One of the biggest disappointments was the virtual absence of Don Hertzfeldt's cartoons throughout the DVD--only having the bizarre and not particularly good MEANING OF LIFE. Likewise, PAN WITH US and MAGDA were too artsy and I disliked them. Fortunately, WARD 13 was a sick and twisted and funny film and the rest of the films were adequate.Fortunately, THE ANIMATION SHOW does get much better with Volume Three. Three is NOT funny like one, but features much more amazing and mind-blowing films--and one of my all-time favorites, the unsavory and cool RABBIT.

Dan It pains me to write a mediocre review of this animation collection, but compared to the first year's collection, this batch doesn't measure up.The first Animation Show collection had a good balance between technically-interesting animation and shorts that were down-right entertaining. It was so good I saw it three times in the theater, was on the waiting list for the first round of the DVD release, and have since shown it in my home theater to friends numerous times. Naturally, I was very eager to see the 2005 collection.This year's show favored shorts that were remarkable for the technical superiority of the animation techniques, unfortunately at the expense of including many shorts with actual entertainment value. Are these shorts works of art? Undoubtedly, but I have a feeling they won't achieve anywhere near the cult-status of many of the shorts in the first collection.The only exception to my observation was Bill Plympton's "Guard Dog." Despite not being a fan of Bill Plympton, I found this short to be pretty good and worthy of a few chuckles, even if it was predictable.

kyrat Yeah, everyone knows Plympton (and "Guard Dog" was a funny short) and the stick figure guy (Hertzfeldt)'s "Meaning of Life" (which had some very funny moments), but I want to recommend seeing this collection for one of the lesser known shorts. Slight spoiler ahead: It was called "Hello" (by Jonathan Nix). It was about this character with a cassette tape player for a head, trying to work up the courage to approach a cd player head character to ask her out. He goes to his old friend the gramophone/record player head for help. Even as a generally cynical person who hates trite sentimentality I still thought the entire piece was very sweet. It was very creative, well done and the story was the right length, hit the right tones, etc. My only suggestion was to put the names of the songs in the credits.I also really liked the animation for "When the Day Breaks" (by Tilby & Forbis) - the anthromorphized animals were really well done. However the 'story' was weak. "Ward 13" (by Peter Cornwall) done in claymation was good, suspenseful and amusing.On another note, I didn't really think the computer graphic animation shorts should really have been included - or it should've been a separate section. I tend to think of that as not quite the same as non computerized animation. I look for different things and have different expectations when I watch those. However one did stick out as highly amusing, though it will only appeal to you if you have a twisted sense of humor, it's called "Fallen Art" (featuring the "Asfalt Ballet") I wont' ruin it for you by describing it but it is amusing (in a sick way) and definitely very creative.

tecnodrome While not every short in this collection is a gem, the four or five that are impressive are unbelievably creative. Guard Dog is a gut-bustingly hilarious opening from the great Bill Plympton, with a great combination of clever, uproarious comedy with a twist of tragedy. Ward 13 is one of the most impressive action movies I've ever seen. That's quite a lot to say for a short animated film, but check it out and you'll see what i mean, it's relentlessly kinetic and dynamic. There's a short called Pan with Us that's an interpretation of a poem by robert frost that is a unique, ingenious form of animation unlike anything else out there. It's unfortunate that Don Hertzfeldt felt the need to make something so epic and out of character for his work because i think it left most of the audience disappointed, but it still had glimmers of his simple, comic genius. Thankfully, there are plenty of other works that cover up the less exciting ones. With the previous ones i mentioned, plus the gorgeous motion paintings of The Man With No Shadow, the perfect auditory love story of Hello, and thoughtful, subtle interconnected story of livestock humanoids in When the Day Breaks, the Animation Show Volume 2 is an amazing collage of the best modern animation in the world.