Now if [i]that[/i] doesn't get your attention... Australian animator Jonathan Nix has kindly passed on word of a second trailer for his upcoming half-hour animated feature [i]The Missing Key[/i], along with a production blog on the official website. We had the first teaser up a little while ago (somewhat late to the party) and the second is similarly beautiful stuff – Jonathan's Venetian fantasy setting looks to be a fascinating mashup of many diverse influences, from faded baroque grandeur to childlike storybook whimsy to the odd brief flash of cheeky humour. What's impressive beyond the obvious talent on display is how all this seems to be coming together pretty nicely – despite the tonal shifts of sorts nothing feels jarring or out of place, at least at this stage – and also how, for a production supposedly centred around music, the audio for both trailers is quite something. Take a look for yourself – synopsis and YouTube encodes embedded after the break, plus the relevant links.
[quote]Set in a richly re-imagined Venice of the early twentieth century, The Missing Key tells the story of the young composer Hero Wasabi and his clarinet-playing cat Jacuzzi. When Hero's almost completed musical composition and piano are destroyed by the villainous Morsocodo, henchman of rival composer Count Telefino, Hero has to search deep within himself to find a melody that can compete in the prestigious musical competition he has worked so hard to enter.[/quote]
First teaser:
Second teaser ('Love Them Boobies'!):
Really nice art direction. Shame the animation itself doesn't seem to hold up as well.
I'm not the biggest "Anime" fan, all though I don't know Missing Key counts, but I'd go to see it. I like unusual animated films like that.
Reminds me of Triplets of Belleville.
Wow, I really wasn't expecting that. Really pleasant surprise! Agree with ScottF the art direction is incredible, though the somewhat choppy animation doesn't bother me at all. Like 8R, I think it adds to the overall quirky aesthetic.
Looking forward to seeing this! If I ever get the chance to that is...
Anyone know what the song from either trailer is?
For anyone else out there who may have picked up on the name, I emailed Jonathan and, yes, brother Garth is the author of the Keys To The Kingdom books ...
Note also that Jonathan does a lot of his own music (and also composes for other people's films), though I don't know if he wrote these two pieces - Cartwheel's site says he's doing the soundtrack for [i]The Missing Key[/i] (along with a [b]Miles Nicholas[/b]) but I don't know if these two pieces are part of it.