Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase (1992)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Joan C. Gratz

Release Date:

1992 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Short

Plot:

Two-dimensional clay animations melding and merging the work of 35 famous artists. |

Plot Keywords:

Painting | Mona Lisa | Abstract Art | Surrealism

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins

Cast

Jean G. Poulot

...

(voice)

Runtime:

7 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Joan C. Gratz Productions

Movie Connections:

Features "The New Price Is Right" (1972)

Absolutely amazing and a bit overwhelming at times.

This is an incredible piece of work and just had me groping for words after I saw it the other day. I'm not terribly visually oriented (my skills are more in the verbal realm), so when an almost completely visual short burns itself onto my brain the way this has, that's quite a feat! It begins and ends with Da Vinci's Mona Lisa and has her morph into another piece (I think it's a Picasso, but don't bet the farm on that-I'm not an Art History expert) which morphs into a third and so on. There were more than 30, of which I recognized about ten and could name five or six. Someone more versed in paintings than this humble scribe would probably do much better than I could. But this is an exceptionally fine piece of animation that deservedly won the Academy Award for Animated Short. It moves quite fast (it's only about seven minutes long) and can be a bit overwhelming with its transitions, but well worth watching and most highly recommended.