The Tightrope Walker

"La Funambule" is one of the strangest and most difficult to describe animated shorts I have seen--and this is NOT a bad thing. Strange can be good--and the film is very, very good. But, because there is no traditional story and since it's more an animated work of art, you just have to see (and hear) it. The artwork is gorgeous--and highly reminiscent of the work of folks like Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró--all set to a wonderful soundtrack. The music, like these men, sounds very Spanish and the overall product is simply stunning. While I know this is not everyone's cup of tea, so to speak, I wonder why it wasn't nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Short--it would have stacked up well against other nominees for the 2003 award (such as the rather insipid but well animated "Boundin'").