Cannon Fodder (1995) User Reviews

Strange

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 7/10 · 6 January 2024]

Memories (3/3) - Cannon Fodder - 6.5/10

The most visually unusual of the three, Cannon Fodder also stands out because it runs for 20-something minutes, while the other two shorts are both approximately 40-45 minutes each. As much as I can gather, it's about the meaningless of war, all done with a futuristic slant that bleakly suggests the human race will never change, and firing increasingly advanced cannons will always just be a thing.

It feels satirical, but not in a truly funny way. It's kind of feel-bad and has a vibe that feels off, but that feels intentional, and I think it makes for an offbeat and sort of fitting end to the overall anthology movie that is Memories.

Cannon Fodder

[WeAreLive · 8/10 · 19 September 2022]

A young boy has a dream of becoming a Cannon Fodder and fighting on the front lines similar to his dad. This short is about how a day in a life is for him as he is living in what seems like in a country which routinely fires at what looks like an unknown enemy. As well how his dad's life is like being a soldier.

This short like with Stink Bomb isn't exactly scary but I will say it was definitely a lot more tolerable to watch as the protagonist does seem to be a lot more reliable.

I will admit though I wasn't exactly a fan of how the animation is a massive step down from the previous two segments and how the character designs looks a lot like robots.

The dub cast by Sound Cadence Studios again including a child voice actress called Jack Britton, Ellen Ray Hennessy, Mike Pollock, Ray Hurd, Phillip Sacramento and Michael Sorich were excellent.

Overall this segment is also an 8/10.

My favourite short

[bdn-23937 · 10/10 · 18 March 2022]

The world building and atmosphere is great. The society is built on war with non existant enemie.. The totalitarianism is laid on extra thicc. For those that love 1984 it's a must.

The weakest of the memory trilogy

[OdinsRagnarok · 4/10 · 13 October 2020]

It's a very short story compared to the rest. Seems like it's just setting up the world and then ends before you know it, without really telling a story. Not only is it the shortest of the stories, it's also the most slow paced - which isn't to its advantage. The animation is alright, going for a much more European style. Overall it's quite forgettable and felt like it was unfinished.

Never tries to make a statement on (anti-)war, but the storytelling perspective is fairly mediocre

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 27 January 2018]

"Taiho no Machi" or "Cannon Fodder" is a Japanese animated short film from 1995, so this one is also already over 20 years old. At slightly over 20 minutes, it is the shortest by far from the trilogy of films included on Memorîzu and Katsuhiro Ôtomo is not just the writer as usual this time, but also the director. At the beginning and end, the focus is on a boy and his family and how they deal with life in a place that is vastly influenced by the military. In-between there are tons of war action and army references and we even see a character on one occasion who through his beard may have a bit too much resemblance with Adolf Hitler. Anyway, it's not a Nazi film or anything, but it is much more about the mystery who they are fighting and why, which is an idea I like. Still the exact execution here did not seem too memorable to me and the animation style wasn't really to m,y liking either I must admit, but that's just personal preference and not really because it looks older than mid-1990s. The exact plot and attention to detail, especially about the story rather than the animation could have been a bit better too and as a consequence I found most characters really forgettable, even the key players. About the voice acting I cannot say too much as I focused on the English subtitles, but I guess it wasn't too bad. Still all in all, this is not my favorite from the Ôtomo trilogy. But it's also definitely not bad enough to be a negative deal-breaker that may keep you from watching the entire thing. Nonetheless I give it a thumbs-down as a whole, this one here at least. Not recommended.