Wild Life (2011) User Reviews

Unimpressed....

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 19 February 2012]

For the last several years I have gone to see the Academy Award nominated shorts--both live action and animated. This year is a first for the animated category in that as we sat watching, I overheard a lot of murmurs about how bad the nominees were. The folks watching seemed, at times, genuinely mad at the choices. Fortunately, after three very sub-par films, the final three were excellent and it seems pretty clear that the race is between "La Luna" and "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore". And, like the last couple years, following these nominees, they showed some animated shorts that were not nominees but were sort of like runners up--and the folks I talked to preferred these films to several of the nominees.

"Wild Life" is another of the animated shorts that left me flat this year....VERY, VERY flat. While I appreciated the art style (using a paint on glass technique perfected by the likes of Aleksandr Petrov), I have seen several artists who simply did this much better. Unfortunately, the art is the best aspect of this confusing film. It's about a Brit who moves to the Canadian wilderness to become a cowboy but he instead freezes to death! The audience was aghast and confused--and I'm with the audience on this one. Why was this nominated? Who wants to see a film like this? What is the point? Was it THAT slow a year for animation that this apparently mean-spirited film was among the very best?! I sure hope not...

Wild Life

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 31 March 2024]

I liked the brush-stroke style of animation here as we follow a rather naive young Englishman as he leaves the comforts of his upper-class existence and emigrates to Calgary. Now in 1909, that was little more than an hamlet but he has plenty of (parental) cash, so secures a 90-acre spread equipped with a pond and a shack. He's happy enough - though perhaps not as adventurous as he declares to his folks in his letters. With the harsh winter approaching, though, loneliness begins to set in and then... Simultaneously, we have a sequence of inter titles that describe to us something of the life of a comet. It's time near the brightness of the sun before it's journey takes it beyond the orbit of Pluto. Analogous? The narrative pokes a little fun at all things English (even the Scots get their dig in) and is quite amiable. I've only ever been into the north of Canada once - to a British Army Arctic training facility. The bitter cold and the darkness of the winter months is almost claustrophobic - and that was with double glazing and central heating. Brrr!

Some dreams are not meant to be

[Rectangular_businessman · 6/10 · 30 May 2022]

There are many movies about underdogs who manage to achieve some sort of seemingly impossible dream; this short instead focus in the story of a man who tried to follow his eccentric dream, but said dream ultimately crashes and burns, leading to a solitary ending.

And yet, despite this, the short never feels cruel or cynical in any way: I guess its colorful animation and gentle tone contributed to such impression, clearly showing a lot of emphaty towards its protagonist even if he was doomed to a tragic fate.

While maybe it was a little bit longer than it should have been, still a worth-watching short.

Too random for my taste

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 27 July 2015]

This is a 12-minute animated short film from 4 years ago that managed an Academy award nomination, but came short in terms of winning. It was made by Forbis and Tilby, a duo of female filmmakers who have worked together for a long time and both been Oscar-nominated before already. "Wild Life" is about a man living in the wilderness pretty much and he writes letters to his family which are only very vaguely accurate. Reality does look different than the fiction in these letters. It is a slightly melancholic short film, which gets a bit dramatic at the end after initially seeming more about comedy. And there are intertitles, which compare the fate of the man to a comet. I have to say the animation was okay, but the story really did not attract my attention and it felt a bit repetitive also despite the short runtime. The one thing you can say about this work is that it is very Canadian and you can see the impact of the NFB right away in the first two minutes. So maybe worth a watch for Canadians, but the rest does not have to see it.

Beautiful, Historical Fable....

[epr_111 · 9/10 · 26 February 2012]

Last night I went to a screening of all of the Oscar shorts at a theater and was impressed with the wide variety of films. It seems that some people, like the reviewer above, thinks that because "wild life" is both short and animated it should be light and comical, like most of the Oscar- nominated short films. "Wild Life" is not light but it's also not too dark and the animation is beautiful and even historically-based....The directors spent over 7 years making the film and many of the ideas for the film came from reading historical works about other travelers in the wild west during this time. Of all of the Oscar shorts that I watched last night at the theater, two stuck out: "La Luna" and "Wild Life." Both are interesting, incredible visually and completely different in style. That's what film awards are all about, right? Presenting something new and interesting? Don't read the review above because (1) It will give away some of the plot (2) You might like "Wild Life," as I did immensely, if you give it a chance.

A tale told of a remittance man and his life in frontier Canada around the turn of the century

[llltdesq · 9/10 · 22 February 2014]

This short was nominated for an Academy Award for Animated Short. There will be spoilers ahead:

This short, done by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby as a NFBC production, concerns the historical reality of remittance men, typically the second sons of wealthy families in England. Given that they were largely superfluous and often in the way, a large number of them struck out for "the colonies" to try to have some adventure and make their way in the world. The name "remittance man" springs from the fact that they generally got an allowance from home to defray their living expenses.

While the main character is a fictional creation himself, much of the background is based on the historical reality of such remittance men and the reaction of the people around them. Going out into the wilds of Canada in 1909 on what amounts to a lark in search of adventure isn't precisely the wisest thing one can do. The center of the story is probably a likable enough sort, he's just bitten off more than he can chew, with predictable if regrettable consequences.

His story and some information on comets are inter-cut, with the relationship between the two becoming more apparent as the short unfolds.

Visually, the short is beautiful, the story and plotting are exceptional and it's thoughtful thought-provoking piece.

This can be seen online at the NFBC website and is also available on DVD and is well worth seeking out. Most recommended.

a pioneer

[Kirpianuscus · 23 March 2024]

Two basic virtues : the drawings and the realism of story. The story of a young man interested by adventurous life, going to Calgary from England in a mix of romantic idealism and need to build his life in personal way. The reality is far to be sunny , the relations with members of comunity just wrong- he remains the bizarre stranger - , the skills of survive are missing in this case.

The only consolation - the letters to home, The lines are the same expression of love of many immigrants , offering happy image of their situation as a sort of good news and self encouragement.

But the winter changes everything.

The end is precise more than sad.

So, just an admirable short film.