Creature Comforts (1990)

Wrong picture aspect ratio, should be FULL FRAME

The Creature Comforts short is presented in the wrong aspect ratio. It was filmed in FULL FRAME and intended to be seen that way. When compared to the old full frame VHS tape & Laserdisc you will see jokes that are cut off on this letterboxed DVD.

The other shorts are presented in their correct aspect ratios, either full frame or letterboxed as they were produced. January 21, 2008

A sadly dying artform.

A lot of these reviewers seem to be preoccupied with whether these shorts are appropriate for children, never mind that these skits are brilliant. "Adam" seems to be a funny minimalist take on existentialism; it's a wonderful exercise in economy and brainy physical humor. "Wat's Pig" is a lovely prince and pauper tale with some of the prettiest "pop classical" music I've heard in animation, recalling Beethoven's pastoral 6th symphony in mood. The piece has a lot of atmosphere and makes me happy. "Creature Comforts" is deservedly famous for its animated spin on real life dialogue. The Handbag sketch is my least favorite, and to be honest I haven't watched it in awhile. Still, some of these are amongst the very best animated shorts.

Update: I'd like to add that these skits can also be viewed for free at the following website, letting you choose your favorites: http://www.atomfilms.com/af/spotlight/collections/aardman/ December 26, 2005

5 Minutes worth it?

I have Creature Comforts on VHS and was considering getting it on DVD. That is until I saw the price. $35.99 for a half hour of animated shorts? This seems a bit extreme to me. I see that it's out of print so that might have something to do with it. The best skit on there by far is the Creature Comforts and it's only 5 minutes long. Hardly worth it if you ask me. Hopefully the original Creature Comforts skit makes its way to one of the Creature Comforts series DVDs as an extra. October 5, 2005

A simple penguin.

Fairing only 32 minutes long, I was worried that these shorts would be cheap, unexciting, and overall just a few animals talking about life at a local Zoo. While I had no problems with this, I wanted more ... and guess what? This short DVD provided it. Not only does it give us that unquenchable desire to see British animals talking about life in a Zoo, but it gives us three more additional shorts which only broaden the power that is known as Nick Park. From those little animals to dynamic storytelling to becoming a staple in the stop-motion animation field, you can literally see the impact of these shorts in today's cinema. From just a short 32 minutes, I witnessed the power of Tim Burton (apparently borrowed quite a bit from Park on his film The Nightmare Before Christmas) in a little short called "Not Without My Handbag", the creation of life on this planet (as seen through Park's eyes) and even a little ditty about the Middle Ages. All of these continue to prove that Park was developing powerful filmmaking well before his time.

For those that perhaps haven't been introduced to a show called Wallace & Gromit, I would highly suggest seeing where Park's Claymation has gone from these creative beginnings, but for those that want to see his early efforts (which were rewarded with an Oscar!) , than I suggest Creature Comforts. More of a observation on our society than just some random cartoons jumping on screen, we watch as animals in a Zoo react the same as we would if we were caged daily (as if we aren't already). The short that impressed me the most was "Not Without My Handbag" where the simple misunderstanding of a contract pulled a darkened cloud over a family. It is deeply disturbing, but powerfully imaginative and vibrant. The final short also impressed me with its powerful references to the "Creation". Simply titled "Adam", we watch as this naked man tries to adapt to living alone on a unexplored planet. If the religious references to Adam & Eve weren't blazin enough, we are privy to a final moment where we think "Adam" will finally get the companion that he deserves ... only to find out it is something that nobody expected.

Park has this amazing ability to take images from our day to day society and juxtaposition them into the world of the imaginative and unbelievable. The ability to give these Zoo creatures enough life to feel just like normal humans while being caged behind bars is incredible. I do not believe anyone has come close to recreating the effect that Nick Park has done. The closest that comes to mind is Brad Bird with his recent creation of the superhero family dynamic in The Incredibles. That was smart and enlightening at the same time. That is what Park creates. His animation is not just creatures falling on the floor for young children to react, but instead intelligent, rather symbolic, metaphors about life, which appeal to both children and adults. To create those characters that are able to cross that boundary from children to adult is difficult, but Park seems to have accomplished it with the greatest of ease.

Overall, I thought this was a great introduction to the work of master animator Nick Park. As I patiently wait for his Wallace & Gromit film release, it is fun to revisit his early work and witness a bold new birth of animation. I am surprised more films haven't been released using this style of cartoonery. In a way I am happy because I would hate to see too much over-dominate the Hollywood community, but we need to see more than what has been handed to us in the theaters. With duds like Madagascar and Home on the Range, I would have thought that Park's work would be the logical next step, but I am always wrong. I applaud your work Park, and suggest that anyone willing to laugh, chuckle, and be entertained for a great 32 minutes should check out this DVD!

My favorites from great to least:

1. "Not Without My Handbag"
2. "Creature Comforts"
3. "Wat's Pig"
4. "Adam"

Grade: ***** out of ***** August 18, 2005

My Aunt Is A Zombie From Hell

I have been a big fan of Park's claymation work, and it really broke the mold when the Wallace & Gromit and other works started to hit the screen.

"Creature Comforts" is the best of these, in terms of the supposed interviews with zoo animals. The mountain lion is hilarious, and the creatures all have such human like emotions and even their subtle actions are fantastic.

"Wat's Pig" had its moments, and I also liked "Not Without My Handbag."

There are some others out there I'd still like to find, like the BBC Radio announcer who lives in his studio. February 24, 2005

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