Rocks (2001) User Reviews

True art

[Havan_IronOak · 8/10 · 20 December 2003]

They say that good art is something that once seen changes one's perspective forever. If so this short qualifies. Once you see it you'll always be a bit aware of the rock's perspective of time.

Bravo on an really well-conceived short film.

An amazingly good animated short that came close to winning the Oscar

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 8 February 2008]

I have had the privilege of seeing all the nominees for Best Animated Short for the Oscars in 2003. What got me interested in seeing all of them is a review for THE CATHEDRAL (also a nominee) in which the reviewer complained that this film, not CHUBBCHUBB! deserved the Oscar. Well, after seeing them all, I really think CHUBBCHUBB! should have probably won, though DAS RAD is very, very close--so close that I really think the makers should be commended--especially since CHUBBCHUBB! was made by a huge corporation (the same people that made the CGI feature SURF'S UP) and DAS RAD was a much smaller scale production. Also, DAS RAD has one of the most original concepts I've ever seen. While CHUBBCHUBB! is funnier and probable more fun for the average viewer, DAS RAD makes you think and the idea of the world as seen through the eyes of large rocks is amazingly different. And what also was exceptional was the idea that rocks are such slow and permanent creatures that the world around them appears to go at lightning fast speed! Clever and wonderful--see this short.

Totally Unique

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 4 July 2019]

It's a simple message, but it is delivered in a wonderful way. Rocks are the main characters. As centuries pass and civilizations come and are eventually gone, the rocks endure. We, as humans, simply are a blur in time lapse. I loved the business with lichens and moss on the rocks, the price of not moving for centuries. Excellent short animation feature.

THIS is an Oscar worthy animated short!

[Anonymous_Maxine · 10/10 · 7 March 2005]

Rocks is one of the best animated films I've ever seen. It not only starts off with a clever idea, but it alternates between real time and geologic time so simply but so effectively that it is almost like it is alternating between two different worlds. It gives a great idea of the difference between geologic time and the time that we experience, as two rock piles talk to each other, complaining about another ice age like it's a rainy day.

The stop motion animation itself is indeed brilliant, but my favorite part is the picture that the movie paints about the path of human history. It shows us how fast we move in geologic time, illustrating the description of humans as a "flash in the pan" in the perspective of the history of the earth.

Take any geology class, and one of the first things you will learn is that, if all 4.6 or so billion years of the earth's life were condensed into a 24 hour period, humans came into existence something like 2 seconds before midnight, and this movie knows that.

The rocks are initially impressed with the development and industrialization that they see going on around them, the increase in productivity and efficiency, until suddenly it becomes a monster, growing and growing and towering over them, threatening their homes and their existence.

But before anything serious happens to them, the growth that they witnessed begins to decay and break down, and they watch apathetically as it collapses back into the earth from which it grew, becoming the rolling hills that it always was. It is a very pessimistic view of the future of the human race, but more than likely true.

What I really love about the film is that it can really make you look at the way you live your life without ever becoming preachy or, in a film that contains the end of humanity, political. This is truly a great film.

This incredible short merits repeated viewings!

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 14 December 2003]

While I won't go so far as to say this "deserved" the Academy Award for Short Animation more than any other nominee (it was a very good field and the winner, The Chubbchubbs, was also extremely good), I do consider this an extraordinary short and would have had no problems with it winning. In this, it becomes quite clear that time is truly relative and that longevity is all a matter of perspective. At times funny and unsettling (often in the same instant), you'll think about this for a while and really should watch it more than once. You'll never quite see rocks in the same way again. In a just and fair world, this would be readily available. Hopefully, it will be sometime soon. This has aired on the Sundance Channel as part of Shorts Program 114 and was also part of the initial program for The Animation Show still currently in release in some areas. By all means, see it if you can. Well worth the effort. Most highly recommended.

This was great! I expect to see more from these animators!

[madfoot-2 · 24 March 2003]

I really, really felt for these rocks. Seriously. They were imbued with so much personality, and I didn't want anything to happen to them. In addition, there was a skillful back-and-forth device that shifted the POV from the short-term human perspective to the rocks' long-term, uh, rocky perspective. Very cool, very skillfully done. If you told me a German film about rocks would be so charming and touching and funny, I'd have told you to take a hike, but it's true: this little film about rocks is a jewel.

Clever Vehicle.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 7 March 2015]

It's a short animation movie, an amuse-bouche, that's very funny but carried along with it a warning. See, these two piles of rocks are sitting on top of a hill speaking to one another, turning their heads and moving their limbs with rolling clacks of sound.

One of them thoughtfully peels the lichens off the other, and tells him (they're both males) that he hates to say it but you've got moss on your head again.

Time passes swiftly on this hilltop. They watch a village grow in the valley beneath them. They wonder what the hell is going on as these wooden houses pop up and paths run around through the grass. The smaller of the rocks puzzles over an almost round piece of inanimate stone and twirls it around on its axis. When a human being passes by, a wheel falls from his cart, and the cursing cart hauler must change it. The small pile undergoes an "Aha Erlebnis" and realizes that this is a wheel ("rad").

But then rime rushes by. The two piles remain the same but a huge metropolis springs up around them. Cars whip along an Autobahn and a monstrous TV screen announces "Built To Last." Poof. It doesn't last. It turns into dust and the TV collapses with a plop. The rocks remain as they were and the lichens and moss grow back. I won't go on about the message.

It's a comic view of civilizations, and it's only eight minutes long.

deserved the oscar big time!

[karmela · 10/10 · 24 March 2003]

memorable, smart, funny, original, flawlessly executed... what else can i tell you about 'das rad', without spoiling any future viewing experience (if there will be a chance for one)? this one really stood out among this year's oscar contenders. i am truly disappointed the academy decided to give the golden guy to yet another big studio product instead of rewarding this little (but by no means insignificant) movie. i was really touched by the story: i think what we (humans) really need in a trying time like that is a proper perspective towards what our species is getting itself into. 'das rad' gives you that, and manages to make its point despite its short running time. a real gem, go see it if you have a chance. bravo stenner & uidel!

The Rock... is lookin'!

[sashank_kini-1 · 7/10 · 30 August 2011]

Generally, in order to show a long span of time in a few seconds, everything is shown in a flash. However, Das Rad takes an alternate approach of showing time in two ways: one is the geologic time which keeps evolving rapidly, and the other is the real time, shown at intervals to get a perspective of the rocks that are ever-present. Two rock-pals, one who's short and more open-minded and the other who is stout and seems more deterrent are able see the evolution of mankind. The stout one, who is more averse to change gets lichen on his back and head constantly and seems irked by it. The short rock realizes the undertaking of development when he notices a wheel and is quite excited about it. But modernization can become a monster that threatens to destroy nature, and only an ice age can stop it. And so when civilization collapses, there is lichen once again all over.

Das Rad has an apt primitive background sound. The use of stop motion is surprisingly well done, with incessant movement in the grass to denote change. The short is slow at the beginning, especially till the point when the rock finds out about the wheel, but its a very novel concept that suggests the importance of change. Anything stagnant will develop lichen, but a surplus of development at the cost of nature may be detrimental to mankind. Unlike some other reviews, I didn't find this to be a 'life-changing' short but a nice concept with a good message. Also, ChubbChubbs! to me is an equally competent short. My rating: 7/10

Great animation, funny story

[Polaris_DiB · 10/10 · 26 October 2006]

Talk about the impermanence of human civilization! You want to think we're such a big and important force in the world, look at us from the perspective of rocks...

I kind of like the idea that maybe the inanimate objects are alive too, just on a much longer timescale. Though what it'd be like for a rock to suddenly be upended and moved would be kind of weird.

Anyway, this short shows two rocks who spend their leisurely eons under a tree peeling off fast-moving moss that keeps attacking them when they lax their guard. They watch the entire progress of human civilization as it starts from "a bunch of wood piles" to the sudden explosion of gigantic skyscrapers... and then the rot and fade away of all of them. That was weird...

The animation in this short is amazing! The way the sky moves to the rocks, the speed-up and slow-down of time, the characters and their shapes, the timing, and everything is really impressive. This short should become a standard by which to measure the possibilities of computer graphics. It's as inventive as it is well-designed.

--PolarisDiB

I lichen it. It rocks.

[acmelita · 10/10 · 10 January 2008]

Perception is all about your perspective. This short allows you to see the world and the passage of time through the perspective of rocks, which might sound dry but is actually quiet amusing.

This film is a combination of stopmotion animation (one of my favorite styles) and digital animation. They blend the two seamlessly, not an easy feat.

This is one of those rare films that reward repeat viewings. Your eye catches different details each time and you start to appreciate the pain-staking attention to detail that the team of animators put into this work. You can pick it up over at www.Filmporium.com. The five dollar disk also includes the wickedly funny "Astronauts" and the Olympic event parody "Ski Jumping Pairs."

Good message, forgettable execution

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 25 March 2015]

"Das Rad" is a 2003 Academy Award nominated student short film by Chris Stenner, Arvid Uibel and Heidi Wittlinger. The most interesting thing is maybe how different the paths of the trio went. Uibel died in 2000 at age 23 or 24 already, Wittlinger has worked here and there in the animation department for small projects, but XStenner really hit the jackpot having worked on "Iron Man 2", "Game of Thrones", "Cropse Bride", "Hugo" and many other big projects.

Anyway, back to "The Wheel". I have to say that I did not really enjoy these 8 minutes. The film plays during the Stone Age and we see two stone creatures talk to each other making jokes repeatedly about how grass grows on the back of one of them. Then, one of them discovers the wheel which turns out a pretty evil vision though, so they are glad when everything is back to normal without the wheel shortly afterward.

I can sort-of see how people like this short film, as it is somewhat different, but it's not really my cup of tea and it probably would not have made my personal top5 in the animated short film category that year.

The best of the best (some spoilers)

[misionary2 · 10/10 · 2 July 2003]

This little film is the one I feel should have won the Oscar (animated short, 2002). As superlative as all the others were (I saw them at the Academy after the awards), this original movie about talking rocks is the best. We didn't really know what to expect as it started. Stop-motion rocks, how good could it be? (slight spoilers) We notice that everything around them seems to be moving very fast, since they are moving very slowly - groves of trees spring up and fall down, etc. OK, could be interesting. Then our hero throws an acorn at another rock sitting across the way, and naturally a tree pops up as soon as it hits the earth, knocking the poor guy over. Hilarious! That light humor weaves in with a very wide-scope look at humanity's development, and leaves you wondering just who is better off in the end. We all thought it was over, and then one last line was spoken. Perfection! I laughed harder at "Mike's New Car," but this one has comedy mixed with originality and just a little bit of philosophy. If you ever have a chance to see this gem, jump on it.

An incredible short

[MrVibrating · 10/10 · 20 December 2006]

This little gem appeared on the Animation Show Volume 1, which I can only recommend. If you found this film then you'll like it.

I wont give the plot away but it's really clever and supremely executed. The use of stop motion is extra fitting. The voice acting is also very good, at least as far as I could understand the German.

Technically this deserves any awards it won. It must have taken forever to coordinate and set up the quite complex shots. I'm not sure weather they dabbled in digital imagery but I think we can assume it. The core of the film is the charming stop-motion however.

If you managed to find this page, and read this review, then you really should take the final step and track down this short. In todays digital age it wont be too hard. It's really worth it.

admirable

[Kirpianuscus · 28 December 2019]

It is a film for discover the reality near yourself in the fair perspective. It is an amusing , touching, ironic and delicate short animation about history, changes, people and nature. And it gives more than a lovely story but a wise manner to discover the essence of the things around every new day. Two characters. A talk . The status of witnesses of a large circle. Small observations and large slices of silence. And the fear of the viewer about the victory of progress against the rocks. The end is a wise one especially as answer to this fear. So, admirable animation.

Nothing Lasts Forever.......Except Rocks!

[ccthemovieman-1 · 10/10 · 29 August 2008]

This is a stop-animation short, featuring two "people," actually just rock formations but, in animated short subjects (cartoons, to most people) we all know inanimate objects are real and talk like people! Anyway, these two likable stoners are near the top of a hill and just kind of observe what is going around them. At first, there is nothing and the short rock-man just sits and fiddles with this round rock. It's like it fascinates him but he can't figure out what to do with it.

Both "guys" watch as humans eventually arrive in the distance and slowly build things. Before you know it, there is road leading past them. The little rock discovers the purpose of that round rock - it's a wheel, and apparently, he says, everything revolves around that "transport" invention.

Later, a huge metallic city arrives - denoting much more passage of time and "progress" - but that doesn't last long....at least when considering the thousands of years that rocks survive. In the end, the rock people and their surroundings are back where they started with only the annoying problem of moss growing on their heads to bother these simple but likable "people." This is a lot of fun to watch, with great animation and a cute and clever story.

Terrific

[Spanner-2 · 10/10 · 17 March 2003]

This animated film from Germany has a couple of rocks watching as history unfolds from their perspective. A creative effort that has decent if a little clunky animation but a very solid storyline that is quite fun to watch. I do reccomend this one if you are ever able to find it. GRADE: A-

Oscar deserving

[ankitmirinseth · 10/10 · 21 May 2009]

This short animation shows evolution of mankind from the perspective of rocks(stones). This is about how rocks witness our progress. This point is highlighted that time moves slowly for rocks. Early man takes inspiration from a circular rock and discovers wheel which becomes the vehicle of modernization and buoyed by its success mankind forgets that its damaging the nature. European cinema has always been much more thought provoking than Hollywood and this is no different. And the animation is done tastefully. This short film really makes me wonder that whether our own success will turn a disaster for us. Truly an Oscar animation

It Will Certainly Make You Think

[Michael_Elliott · 19 May 2010]

Das Rad (2003)

*** (out of 4)

Neat film received an Oscar-nomination for Best Animated Short. The film works on the basic idea that two piles of rocks, who can speak to one another, are fearing another ice age. The entire short is built around time going forward thousands of years and these rocks being there through it all. I guess it's fair to say you'll never really look at a rock the same way again and the next time you pick one up to throw it, there's a good chance you'll remember this movie and think about the history you're holding in your hands and ask what all has happened in the presence of that rock. The movie doesn't do anything overly special with the exception of the wonderful build up and the eventual execution. This is certainly the type of movie that makes you think after wards and the thoughts you have after the movie are probably going to be more impressive than the ones you have while watching it. This here is certainly a nice little gem that deserves to be seen.