Robert Reynolds
This short, an adaptation of a piece by James Weldon Johnson entitled The Creation, is a considerably different look from Will Vinton's traditional Claymation style. It's more a 2-D style, with animation by Joan C. Gratz and narration by James Earl Jones. An absolutely entrancing and compelling work, this was nominated for an Academy Award for Animated Short and deserved the nod. A beautifully designed and animated piece, having seen it makes me wish that I could find Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase, an animated short directed by Gratz which won the Academy Award more than a decade after the making of The Creation. For anyone who still thinks that animation is solely a medium for children (or that it should be), I would use this as an excellent example of what can be accomplished with animation, a fertile imagination and a love of your artform. The Creation can stand alongside other works of the Vinton Studios as well as the best of animation over the last century and hold its own. It has been released on VHS by the studio and copies can be found (at least one compilation, as well a release itself on a VHS cassette) with a little searching. Get the compilation, if you don't have much or any of Vinton's work-it's well worth the effort. Most highly recommended.
