We've seen the evolution of a lot of forms of animation in the last several years. I'm not just talking about CG animation. Think more along the lines of things like rotoscope, Trioscope and another forms of animation not often seen. After seeing the first trailer for Cryptozoo from Magnolia Pictures, I'm getting serious motion comic vibes.
There's probably a good reason that I feel that way, since the film comes from comic book writer/artist/filmmaker Dash Shaw. If you look at some of his more mainstream work, you'll find that he worked on Clue: Candlestick for IDW. Other titles in his portfolio are quite interesting like Bottomless Belly Button and My Entire High School Sinking Into The Sea. It seems like weird and different is definitely in Shaw's wheelhouse.
So as we take a look at Cryptozoo, here's the story: "Dash Shaw’s vibrant, fantastical animated feature follows cryptozookeepers through a richly-drawn hallucinatory world as they struggle to capture a baku (a legendary dream-eating hybrid creature) and begin to wonder if they should display these rare beasts in the confines of a zoo, or if these mythical creatures should remain hidden and unknown."
You might have recognized a voice or two in the trailer. The cast includes Lake Bell, Zoe Kazan, Michael Cera, Louisa Krause, Peter Stormare, Thomas Jay Ryan, Grace Zabriskie and Angeliki Papoulia. Shaw both wrote and directed the film, along with Jane Samborski. The doors of Cryptozoo open everywhere on August 20th. Keep checking back for more coverage.
Photo Credit: Magnolia Pictures