Stanley Pickle (2010) User Reviews

Wonderful!

[nairtejas · 8/10 · 3 January 2013]

You take a current affair topic and the most notorious cause of the world's plight and add a solution, you get this masterpiece.

Stanley Pickle is a genius and has automated his world, like we have done (almost). But, then comes emotions, human emotions... and the war between the machines and emotions unfolds and the truth wins. Very humane topic to choose for an amazing animation work. Beautiful story and I ought to say Stanley Pickle is the need of the hour!

This should've been a feature length movie, though! Very much recommendable and the ten minutes that you spend for this will make a huge difference.

A film like a clockwork, pretty creative

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 18 March 2017]

Although I probably should not say that as clockworks are probably the main antagonist in this 11-minute short film from 2010. "Stanley Pickle" was written and directed by Victoria Mather and it is probably still her most known work tho this date. Same can most likely be said about the cast members including Drew Caiden who plays the title character. This is the story of a young man and his relationship with his parents plus what happens when a young woman enters his life. The thing I liked most about the film is that it is really much more about life than about a forced love story, so meeting the woman and his gift may not have won her over for him, bit it helped him in understanding something crucial and this is a much better, maybe even much happier ending than a kiss or so could have been. It also shows that the film includes a solid amount of depth. The awkward stop motion animation adds a fair share as well and probably keeps the film from looking as dark as it actually is in terms of the story. It is really 100% drama and people should not be fooled by some scenes and see this as a comedy of any kind. Like I explained earlier, the romance aspect is also secondary only and it's just means to the story and the main character's development towards the (right?) direction. As a whole, I enjoyed the watch here. Mather sure shows us she has potential here and even if it's been a while already I still hope she can use this film's success with awards bodies and keep building a strong career on this foundation. See it.

Good picture like clay animation

[invertedforest-70474 · 7/10 · 21 July 2015]

This short film's good point is its picture like clay animation. It is interesting to watch screen because only picture is attractive without story. Although now a days many films use CG to describe something like nonentity, this films is similar with old films containing clay animation monsters. It is nice. On the other hand, this story is little difficult to understand because all characters don't talk. That makes characters a bit unpleasant although this story is some kinds of dark fantasy. I couldn't understand how this protagonist lives with corpses in that wasteland, because he looks to be completely alone although they live normally. I also couldn't understand who that woman is. However, all of this film is interesting because its atmosphere is not bad at all.

Excellent!

[ogorisa · 30 June 2015]

I see this short movie at first, it is very mysterious and funny. I like this movie. It is like watching animation, because the characters moves strangely. I think it is comical, but it also increases more cruelty and scariness. When I think deep meanings of this movie, it is very interesting. This movie says to us that we should be cautious of developing scientific technique. The scientific technique enriches our world, but it can be treated with incorrect usage. Moreover, the movie tells it is impossible that we disobey the providence of nature. The move is excellent plot and making film is so ingenious and creative. I wants to recommend you to see this.

retro and attractive

[ckd-42924 · 7/10 · 22 July 2015]

My first impression of this film is a strange film. People in this film move unnaturally, and everything in this film seems unnatural. It is because his mother and father are moving with spring. The lead character, a man, likes a woman. He is already an adult, but seems to be a boy. He tries to help the woman in his way, and he learns what life is. You can see the man growing up, as the story goes. I really like this short film. the atmosphere of this film is kind of retro and attractive. In addition, the story itself is also very good. I think it is really great to convey some message to audience without language, only using pictures and story.

Beautiful and touching

[yaya-60 · 10/10 · 23 November 2010]

Stanly pickle is honestly the only short film I have watched this year that was both visually exciting and touching at the same time.

The stunning imagery and technique are carried out by a beautiful story of a lonely boy and the cold yet protected world he naively created for himself.

When a beautiful girl crosses his front yard he takes the chance of coming out of his secured surrounding, but sometimes when we try to surprise someone with something good, it all turns out just plainly wrong...

The overall atmosphere is very cynical with quite a dark sense of humor. It is full of surprising treats, funny and embarrassing moments.

If you like films by Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton, you'll enjoy this one! I look forwards to seeing more from this director.

Life of a young man

[acingst · 6/10 · 18 July 2015]

In the wide grassland there is a traditional old house. Family lives in the house. The family is one young man, his mother and his father. Their actions are a little strange. The young man's father is repeating the same behavior over and over again. His mother sometimes stops her actions. The young man also moves not smoothly. They are an unusual family. The young man looks outside from a window on the second floor at a set time every day. He likes to watch outside, because a young girl comes to wide grassland every day. She plays chasing one bird and she dances there too. One day, the situation changes from the usual. The bird that she chased died. The movie makes me think about life and death of creatures. What is happiness in life for the young man, his father, his mother, the lady and the bird? What is life? What is death? What is the meaning for humans to live? At first glance, this movie looks comical, however, it includes a big important theme. People can see this movie from various angles. I am interested in how people accept messages from this movie.

No doubt a 10 out of 10.

[kodamalamancha · 10/10 · 25 November 2010]

I watched Victoria Mather's short Stanley Pickle at this year's Raindance Film Festival in London, and found myself spellbound by the world she has created.

The film is about a boy who, instead of growing up and moving on, chooses to lock himself in his clock work Never Land.

The atmosphere of the film resembles a children's book with a dark twist, not dissimilar to some of Terry Gilliam's work. The overall design of the film is very well done, from the costume and set design to the cinematography. However, this film is more than just am eye candy. Despite the lack of dialogue, it is full of funny moments as well as deeply touching ones.

I have never came across anything like this film, and was amazed when I found out that the entire film consists of a series of still images captured by an SLR. It was a privilege to see it on the big screen, and would happily watch it again and again. No doubt a 10 out of 10.

Wonderful Tale that Twists Just a Bit.

[Directorian-1 · 9/10 · 25 November 2010]

Watching this short caught me off guard. At first I was thinking that it was a live action when I saw the posters - but realized that it is stop motion with people, THIS BECOMES WONDERFUL! A fantasy world is built around a young boy discovering that he can't always perfect what he wants. The music is wonderful and I think the whole story is bitter sweet. It made me laugh a few times and left me with a very nice feeling of self discovery, and it's OK to move on in life when things just don't work out.

WONDERFUL movie! I'm telling all my friends about this title! Victoria Mather did an awesome job at sharing this sweet story to the world! 9/10

True treat for all cinema lovers.

[harukiharuka · 10/10 · 24 November 2010]

Stanley Pickle is packed with all sorts of cinematic goodness, from the bitter sweet story line and the quintessentially British sense of humour to the stunning visuals created through the fantastic use of pixelation technique and brilliant production design.

The film follows the life of Stanley Pickle, a 20 year old boy/man who (quite happily) shuts himself in the clock work world he created. He lives with his mommy and daddy and spends his day playing with his toys. He sleeps in a child sized bed and gets tucked in by his mommy every night with a good night kiss. However, there has recently been a new addition to his daily routine; to watch the strange girl who appears from the forest and dances around with her bird in the fields from his bedroom window...

What is fascinating about this short film is that it is neither live action nor fully animation. Pixelation has been around for decades, but what is so great about this film is that it fits perfectly to the theme and the story, and not just a "wow" factor or to show off the technique. It feels so organic that you almost forget that it's an incredibly challenging concept to pull off.

Director Victoria Mather has created a magical and dynamic world where motion and stillness coexist. It is full of symbolism, yet you don't feel the need to analyse to appreciate the world of Stanley Pickle and it's beauty. Visually stunning, funny and dark, touching and entertaining. What more can you ask for? Stanley Pickle is a true treat for all cinema lovers and is definitely the best of it's kind.

A little bit strange short film.

[napo0523 · 5/10 · 28 August 2015]

Stanley Pickle lives with his mother and father. He leads quite a monotonous life every day. One day he finds a pretty girl outside of his house and falls in love with her. He wants to do something for her but he cannot do well because of his unusual feature.

This film is far from a normal film. The strangest point is characters are not human beings. Actually, they are like a robot with clockwork. They just move like a robot and they do not have feelings even though they look like human beings. Their life looks quite boring for me. Moreover, the last scene of this film is a little shocking. That's why I could not enjoy it so much.

animated reflexivity

[RResende · 21 November 2010]

Stop motion is a great technique. It's a compromise between continuous motion, 24fps or even lower, and the stillness of a single image. I think this balance between both ways to represent can make a difference in what regards narrative. It lowers your ability to focus only on what the images "tell" and instead are forced to learn what the images "are".

The interesting thing about this film is a certain reinvention of how usually this kind of stop motion is used: all the elements are real elements, from our real world, not clay models, not built out of scale sets. Usually in this kind of animation, the objects of that real world are animated on their own. bottles move alone, tables dance with chairs on their own will, and so on. Humans may be in the picture, but they will not interfere, only interact with the environment. Svankmajer has a number of incredible experiences based on this notion.

But here, we have a mixture. We have an animated world, that fully belongs to the otherworldliness of animated objects, but we also have the animator on screen. Stanley Pickle creates and mantains all the objects that surround him in his daily life, from his parents (who are objects here) to his games. Later in the film we see his laboratory, on the downside of his bed.

This falls apart when he performs his magic to a girl from outside of his confined animated world. It doesn't work, he can only fake the life of her bird, not resume it. So, that kills the animation, to Pickle himself.

The girl has quite an interesting face, and i appreciated the self-referentiality and how it blends into the final product and the narrative. I just didn't the film visually interesting.

My opinion: 2/5

Http://www.7eyes.wordpress.com

Interesting Film

[popopon0125 · 10/10 · 19 July 2015]

This story is about a lonely boy who can change living things into robots. In the film, first, he lives with his robot family happily and sees a girl is playing with her bird from his room's window. Second, he sees a girl bury her dead bird in the ground, so he digs it up and changes it into a robot. Then, he gives her the robot as a present, but she isn't pleased. Finally, he realizes robots cannot become alternative to living things and decides to leave his house. I like this film's editing about the motion of characters. I feel it makes the world view of the film. I also like the film itself. This is because it teaches us living things give us something important robots cannot give us. It is important that we understand that thing because the technology of robots is developed these days and robots are introduced into our social life. I feel this film teaches us that robots cannot become alternative to living things.

Mega-creepy....and I'm okay with that.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 1 January 2014]

"Stanley Pickle" is an incredibly strange and creepy film--there's no denying this. However, as I have a very high threshold for the weird and creepy, then this film is great!

It's very tough to describe the plot for this film. Suffice to say that Stanley has learned to re-animate the dead by inserting wind-up motors into them! They, as well as Stanley, move in a very mechanical manner. This is heightened by the use of stop-motion as well as the film having cels removed from it--making everything move in a choppy way--which is perfect for this film.

The bottom line is that this short film is highly creative and unusual--something you don't see all that often. While the plot might not impress you, the way it was made and the usualness of the film sure will.

Strange story

[sgsbbcgbbc · 8/10 · 24 July 2015]

A young man lives in a house with his father and mother. The young man sees a girl who runs about and plays with a bird through a window. At night, his father and mother seem strange. They are a mechanical father and mother. He winds a spring of them and they start to move as usual. When he sees the girl again through the window, she brings a dead body of a bird and builds a tomb for the bird. He digs up the dead body and comes back home. He tries to make a mechanical bird and gives it to her. In the film, every characters moves strangely. I think people wonder why characters move strangely and people gradually come in a view of the unique world in this film. I like the weird and comical world.

Dark fantasy

[banyaaaan-t · 5/10 · 19 July 2015]

One boy is a really good mechanic, but has never gone out of his home. He always gazes at a girl playing with a bird from his room. One day the bird dies and the girl makes a grave. He digs it out, fixes the bird and presents it to the girl, because he wants to make her happy and be a friend. However, she runs away and he thinks on what's wrong and what is "life"? This is very artistic. It's filmed in stop-motion way which suits the story. However, I cannot deny I felt kind of creepy. I can find the answer in this film. Anyway I like the view which is mix of the messy and the order, the colorful and the loneliness.

unrealistic

[pisrgofort · 21 July 2015]

This movie strange because it is unrealistic. Also, the main character and other character's movement are uneasy. So I take time to understand the contents. If I have a doll mother and father, I will feel that life is boring. The most memorable scene is the main character dissects a bird body. Firstly, I wonder why the main character makes doll. But I think this movie tells us that if we don't get love from parents and friends, we will not be able to have consideration. Now, we spend time together with our own family and we think it is natural. But it is not so and it's too cozy, I think. So this story tells us to humaneness and compassion.

fantasy!

[kmray-76797 · 16 July 2015]

A boy lives in a house with his parents happily. His parents have springs. He turns and makes them move freely. He finds a strange girl while locking out a window. He wants to get along with her. He is good at make a spring-driven toys. He tries to make her happy with his technique. But that changes his life.

This movie plays in a unique way so the characters don't move smoothly. But this way makes the movie better. It shows the movement of spring-driven toys realistically. And in the garden scene, the bending grasses were beautiful. This movie makes wonderful natural view. The movie is very beautiful and lovely.

I think it tells the difficulty of make ourselves look nice to others. In the movie, the boy doesn't know how to get along with the girl. He did things he thought are good for her. He notices his action is not good for others. We want to make ourselves look nice, but the action often backfires. I had some difficulties to get along with others. I was interested in the story and sympathized with him. I think many people will enjoy this movie.

what is NORMAL

[yuukiftb · 27 August 2015]

There is a boy named Pickle. He has family, and spends normal life in house. However, he has never been outside. Around him, there are a lot of things moving like robots. He always sees a girl playing with her bird from his room. One day, he saw her making a hall to put her dead bird in with sad face. Then he thinks he should encourage her, and goes outside to pick the bird up, and bring it to his room. What does he do to make her happy? Will she be happy because of his action? Are things happening around him really normal? I like the story, but I thought that if it happens in real world, it must be so scary.However, I really think the creator has very good ways of thinking.

Fantasy

[bbb24 · 22 July 2015]

I enjoyed this film. Because I like the atmosphere which is like animation. In addition, the camera work is nice. I was impressed with the scene of people walking. I thought they slide on the ground rather walk. This strange moving makes this film's atmosphere more mysterious. I thought the boy is also things mysterious. Why does he try to bring back to life? How does he live alone? Where does he go at the end? I had these questions when I finished watching this film. The answers are not clear, so the audience can become interested in the film. I like this film. I thought this film is little dark story. The boy's mother and father don't live. And their moving is strange, because they repeat same moving. When I watch this scene, I felt scare.

Creative and engaging fairy tale

[bob the moo · 20 March 2014]

Stanley Pickle may be a man but he lives in a world frozen in time due to his own actions. His parents and all around him are animated by clockwork in order to keep them going while he fits into their rigid patterns in a way which he has come to accept as normal life. However a chance sighting of a girl outside his house breaks him out of his normal behavior – or at least, to a point.

Even without talking about the manner of delivery this short film is an interesting one as it is an adult fairytale with a nice idea that is well built upon The narrative may be quite straightforward but it does still work as a fantasy piece about a young boy coming to terms with real life. This is enough but to make it more of a prospect the manner of telling is really what drew me in. The film is animated but yet also life-action, but not in a Roger Rabbit mix. The actors and sets are all moved one frame or so at a time so you have this very other-worldly sense of movement which at once feels normal but yet not normal – it is a device that perfectly fits the clockwork aspect of the plot. The set design and performances work very well around this and the whole thing comes together.

The fairytale may be simple but it still works, while the animation is very well done in the most part and makes this a very creative and engaging short film.