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[someone in the letterboxd reviews has a link to it so you can watch for free!]
a really gorgeous short, lovely use of stop motion and 2d animation, both bringing with them earlier traditions of painting and puppetry.
it's just really beautifully done.
i was unfamiliar with the story while watching. if you'd like to know more check this out.
Feb 18, 2025
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every once in a while i go down a rabbit hole of animated short films on youtube. i really liked the art style of this one! so so cool. if anyone has anything similar to this for me to watch, feel free to let me know in the comments.
Apr 5, 2025
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This is such a good movie, the art is like no other made by Ghibli, super unique and the story is truly beautiful
It made me very emotional and I say that as someone who doesn't get easily moved by movies
Also would rec Only yesterday and When marnie was there!
Apr 18, 2024
one of the ghiblis i'd always skipped because "ooo its not miyazaki and i dont think ill like the artstyle" but i was super wrong! gorgeous and charming and made me want to be a dad. it strikes this really cool visual middle ground of modern western animation with its really simply drawn and emotive characters and like ukiyo-e paintings. definitely feels like its responding to miyazaki's films but undoubtedly has its own voice. if youre like me and passed over this go check it out because you're missing out!
Jan 28, 2024
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Mar 12, 2025
Feb 8, 2025
Lately I've been spending too much time scouring every corner of eBay I can for the cheapest and most delightful soviet era porcelain figurines available
I didn't even realize it until diving head first into this rabbit hole, but I have had soviet era porcelain figurines my whole life (a bunny and a bull for those curious), so I guess I was always destined to develop a fondness for the form, and eventually dig a little deeper into it.
There is something so incredibly charming and also incredibly interesting about these porcelain pieces! These little guys!
There's a lot of history to dig into that I've barely scratched the surface of AT ALL, but I'm fascinated by how porcelain reflected the common sentiments* of the times, the economic conditions, the artistic movements and ideas of the day, and also the ability (or lack thereof) of people to stay in one place and hold onto something so "useless" and easily broken.
I have very, very few things from any of my ancestors. Figurines like these make me think about the way history and art are passed down to us, forgotten, broken, left behind, sold in thrift stores and online, if they survive at all.
Figurine collections are kind of a barometer of safety and stability, or at least how dedicated to the illusion of it you might be.
They also make me think about how useful "useless" things can be. How even art that is purely decorative can be thought-provoking (by for example valorizing "folks"), or just make you happy (via being very cute! Or expert use of color and form!).
Grannies collect this shit for many good reasons and I'm starting to catch on.
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* Notably the $$$ collectors type ones are the ethnographic figurines, something I NEED to read an academic paper about.
Especially, because Ive noticed some of these figurines depicting "ethnic types" are inaccurate copies of earlier prints, which themselves should be placed under immense scrutiny! This is all extra interesting in the context of the porcelain industry transitioning from imperial rule to the soviet era. The ways of talking about ethnicity changed, (in addition obviously to y'know, everything!) but the products produced largely remained the same. Lots to think about!!!
Jan 31, 2025