The Lump (1993) User Reviews

The best things about this short are the music and the script

[llltdesq · 8/10 · 23 May 2001]

This short, produced by the NFBC, uses a style of stop-motion that, at least to my eye, is distracting and not entirely effective. But the music is spendid and the basic concept and script are engaging enough to overcome some very definite visual drawbacks. Makes some pithy and cogent remarks on humanity's character and values (or lack thereof), but could have been better, for me at least, had the animation been less irksome. Well worth seeing.

For all the Georges out there! General McMacho rules!

[LeRoyMarko · 8/10 · 3 January 2003]

Poor George is ugly and unattractive. He even scares pigeons away! By Jove, his only job is to be a model for a gargoyle sculptor! And when he's still a kid, he finds his mother in the arms of another kid! But, one day, a lump appears on his head. The lump becomes a second head, a beautiful one. With this new look, his life changes overnight. He becomes a successful politician. But his colleagues are corrupted and their actions are enticing the people to do the revolution. Poor George is sentenced to death by guillotine. But guess what! He's got a second head, his old one. And he goes back to being the ugly George that he was before. Interesting animation with those heads that appear to be taken from a magazine. The song is funny and well chosen.

Seen in Sudbury, on December 31st, 2002. And twice again, at home, in Toronto, on December 31st, 2004.

83/100 (***)

Wow....did I hallucinate or was this film like LSD?!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 11 August 2009]

This is one of the most bizarre short animated films I have ever seen. At first, when it started I was very unimpressed as the animation appears to be really lousy. Pictures looked like they were roughly torn out of a magazine and these pieces of paper were moved using stop-motion. The music also had a real home made quality about it. I was baffled. However, the more I watched the more I enjoyed the film. Much of this enjoyment was because the whole thing was so strange and part of it is because the song has really odd lyrics that made me laugh.

The film is about an ugly nobody named George. No one likes or cares about him and his life is miserable. Then one day, an odd growth begins to appear on top of his head. Over time, it becomes a beautiful face--much like Michelangelo's statue of David. And, because he was an ugly nobody, George wore his clothes in a way that hid is ugly nobody face and everyone thought the growth was him! Then, as a result of getting this odd sort of makeover, his life changed dramatically. Everyone loved him and eventually he parlayed this into becoming President--all due to a weird lump! There's much more to the story than this, but as you could tell by the description it's bizarre but somehow likable and different....very, very different!

One of Canada's best

[plok253 · 23 June 2000]

I'm probably the only one who cares to watch O Canada on Cartoon Network. This is one of the first cartoons I saw on the show, and the song from this toon has been stuck in my head ever since. It's quite a creative animated musical in which an unpopular man grows a lump on his head that looks like a Greek figure. He pretends this is his head, and he becomes much more popular. However, later the lump ends up getting him into trouble. I'll never forget the one part at the beginning that went like "If he ever asked out a woman, she would nearly call a cop!" Worth watching.

i loved "the lump"!

[karstenrod · 10/10 · 13 August 2007]

i happened across "the lump" accidentally. i found it thoroughly engaging. actually i think it was more intriguing. i loved the music, the lead character and the script. the total concept of the story was unique. it was and wasn't a learning type story. by that i mean like a bible story where one is supposed to learn something from it. you do, but then again, you don't. all and all it's just a wonderful little short story that came from a free thinking mind. i recommend it for anyone. i don't know what else to say without ruining it for others. guess i'll just repeat myself and say watch it if you get the chance. still short one line...loved the flick!

What The Heck Did I Just Watch?

[mklitzka · 1/10 · 12 December 2000]

I'm all for projects in arts by all people, but this defies all natural ability and reason to even do something. I think 2nd graders could make a better short film involving their Elmers glue and sparkles then what this was. And to think more then 1 person actually worked on this, guess it was a group effort to make it bad.

Paper Head

[tedg · 17 September 2007]

At least it has a story, a sort of fable: a loser is employed as a gargoyle model. He grows a lump on the top of his ugly head that has a handsome face. He hides his real face and his life turns around, even Chauncey Gardener-wise becomes president. And not just president, but one that people admire, listen to and follow. (You might say: here's a drunk and crack addict who finds God.)

But because he still is a dummy, his vice president and advisers talk him into all sorts of crazy things that get him and them in trouble. Its a fable for our time.

Its animated using paper cutouts, similar to South Park, but with more detail. It doesn't quite work for me. I think its because the drawings (and photos) on the cutouts have to have some relevance to how they are used. The medium has to have some harmony among its components; if it doesn't, the tension carries meaning and the meaning has to be something we can reach somehow. This is disintegrated with no purpose, except that it can be done.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.