There are a lot of factors that act as inspiration for artistic creations, but perhaps the best kind of such factors is an artistic creation itself serving as a muse to give birth to another, even a completely different form of art. The Hungarian Dance No. 5 composed by the German composer and pianist Johannes Brahms is one such instance, having inspired the creation of a beautiful four-minute animated piece called ‘Stripy.’
“We were looking for a classical music that would best fit another animation that we had created as a short, independent work in Gonbad Kabood Studio, but as fortune would have it, while we were listening to the Hungarian Dance No. 5, an idea for a different animation based on this musical piece was formed and we decided to give it a go,” said animator and director Babak Nekooei, while explaining the idea behind his creation and how it all came to be.
“The music is full of contrasts,” he added, “the fast and slow rhythms, the pauses, and of course the repetitive notes. So the story that came to mind was that of a contrast between two characters which would ultimately result in a conflict; it’s a classical narrative.”
'Stripy' is significant for its compelling ‘classical narrative’ driven by a classical music set in motion with modern characters in a modern setting. It is a work of contrast, of conflict, narrated in its most subtle way, following the tradition of Walt Disney's classic films.
“It was important to us to bring Stripy’s atmosphere as close to a classic Disney animation as possible,” said Behnoud Nekooei, Babak’s brother and co-director of Stripy. “We tried to focus the narrative on the idea we wanted to shape and use the minimum amount of colors to serve as a code, as the color red signified the inherent contrast in the story.”
For only four minutes long, this graceful animation does a remarkable job of keeping you fully-absorbed in your seat, demanding all your attention. It is a complicated story narrated in simple, subtle terms, with 2D character designs and concise movements that create a beautiful balance with Brahm’s music. A simple worker who rises in opposition to the monotonous pattern of the modern life leaning heavily toward a capitalist agenda tries to challenge the norm by changing the designs on the factory boxes from repetitive black stripes into exciting red curves. The story comes with a twist at the end, a twist that does not choose to resolve the conflict, and in a sense, allows the cycle of repetition to repeat itself.
“What is remarkable about this animation is that it is a flawless work of art,” said cinema critic Jalil Akbari Sehhat. “It is not just a beautiful work of graphics, but a solid cinematic production.”
Akbari Sehhat added that the animation’s subtle use of software and the use of color as little as possible are among its winning qualities, praising 'Stripy' for its minimal depiction of the contemporary world.
While not quite a Kafkaesque Metamorphosis, 'Stripy' is, nonetheless, successful in putting its message across. As the classical notes of the Hungarian Dance bring the story into life, the audience is presented with the still-unfinished critique on capitalism and how such system still manages to take advantage of opposition and turn it into profit. Nothing seems to escape the greedy clutches of the money-loving system, not even the opposition which seeks to undermine it.
“It may be an old topic but it is still relevant. This animation was our attempt to use western tools in order to present the audience with an eastern view,” said Babak.
Having been accepted in over 30 foreign events including the 2015 Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France and Brazil’s Anima Mundi International Animation Festival, 'Stripy' has now set its eyes on the 2016 Academy Awards, thanks to its inclusion in the 17th Annual Animation Show of Shows.
Although the Academy Awards for Animated Short Film brings together productions from prominent names which will make the competition especially hard for the Nekooei brothers who are experiencing their first ever chance at such an international recognition, it is still a remarkable step forward for young Iranian animators who wish to introduce their works on a global scale.