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Blend Films presents
Liquid Tales: The Animated Films of Patrick Smith (2001-2006)

Review By: Jeff Wilson   
Published: February 16, 2007

Director: Patrick Smith

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for cartoon violence
Run Time: 00h:27m:25s
Release Date: May 23, 2006
UPC: 094922629593
Genre: animation

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B+	B	B+	B+	B

DVD Review

Patrick Smith may be unknown to most, but as the back cover text informs me, he directed several episodes of MTV's Daria series, as well as a bunch of commercials. While you may have seen that popular series, you likely haven't seen any of his animated films, unless you're a regular on the festival circuit, which they seem to have been limited to. This new release gathers his five completed films, along with some making-of material.

The four shorts and one music video all feature a similar style, which is a slightly rough, thick-lined approach to designing his characters, and it's an attractive look. Characters often morph and merge into one another. As Smith comments in the interview in the extras, he uses his own life as inspirational fodder, such as a bad break up informing the bitter Handshake and his brother's method of throwing him across a room in Delivery, to name two examples. Dialogue is nonexistant, as Smith allows the actions to do all the speaking. The sound work needs to be good to compensate, and it's very good.

The other films here are Drink, in which the titular item displays mind-enhancing (or is it mind-warping?) properties; Puppet, which provides a look at the fear of one's creation getting out of control in the form of a sock puppet that proves brutally and hilariously efficient at making its creator's life hell. Finally, the video to the Planets' track Moving Along wraps things up.

For fans of animation, this is a nice collection, if really too brief at less than 30 minutes. The extras, as described below, may make this worth a buy for would-be animators or animation fans, but otherwise I'd be rather aggravated at spending money on a disc this short. Recommended, but with reservations.



Rating for Style: B+
Rating for Substance: B

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.85:1 - Widescreen
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: Everything is in nonanamorphic widescreen, which is a bit of a downer, but the video is crisp and colorful otherwise.

Image Transfer Grade: B+

 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: The Dolby 2.0 track is perfectly fine for highlighting the variety of sound effects that Smith uses in the course of the shorts.

Audio Transfer Grade: B+

 

Disc Extras

Static menu
1 Featurette(s)
Feature/Episode commentaries by Director Pat Smith
Packaging: unmarked keepcase
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extra Extras:

1. Pencil test footage

Extras Review: The extras here aren't bad, obviously focusing on Smith's production of the films found here. An interview with AnimatorsUnite.com (13m:22s) covers the technical and personal side of the films. Commentaries for three of the five films (not each, as the material reads) are worthwhile also for film-specific discussion, and pencil-test materials are on hand as well.

Extras Grade: B

 

Final Comments

The only real disappointment with this collection is that it's so short. I enjoyed all the films here, and I daresay most animation fans would enjoy taking a look at them. An interview with Smith and commentaries on some of the films provide some good detail about the nuts and bolts of putting them together.

 

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