If, when you think of animation, your mind jumps to talking animals, family-friendly viewing and light entertainment, then you probably haven’t seen the work of Adam Elliot. Because if you had, you would associate the art of animation with multi-dimensional characters, mature subject matter and dark comedy.
Since 1996, Adam Elliot has been independently writing and directing stop-motion animation shorts and films in his own distinct style. His work immediately stands out from other animation with its imperfect and somewhat lumpy aesthetic, a style that Elliot terms ‘chunky-wonky’. He explains that this visual style comes from a physiological tremor which makes his hands shake and his ‘drawings slightly wobbly’. These drawings are then carefully transformed into the clay figures of which Elliot’s cinematic world is composed. What follows is the painstaking and expensive process of stop-motion animation which creates the finished product; it is a notoriously difficult and lengthy method, particularly when compared to the computer-based techniques available but, as Elliot points out, ‘good things take time’.
And if the widespread critical acclaim that Elliot has received is anything to go by, the time and effort has certainly been worthwhile. Elliot notably won an Oscar for his short film, Harvie Krumpet; a bittersweet tale which follows the title character as he deals with Tourette’s syndrome, alcohol and a late discovery of the benefits of nudism. This Oscar is one of a plethora of awards that Elliot has earned, but when asked about the importance of these accolades, he compares them to ‘bottles of wine – you feel good for a few days but you wake up with a hangover. They’re nice but they don’t make you happy.’
In addition to the Tourette’s syndrome in Harvie Krumpet, Elliot’s other creations include characters with Cerebral Palsy and Asperger’s syndrome. His central characters might tend to have disorders to deal with but Elliot is intent on not labelling them as ‘disabled’. Instead, he explains that his work deals with ‘people who are marginalized’ and he hopes that his portrayals of these individuals are authentic enough to ‘make the audience forget they’re watching at animated film. I want them to empathise [with characters] that just happen to be made out of plasticine.’
And perhaps this ability to imbue clay figures with human traits is helped by Elliot’s reliance on autobiographical material as his subject matter. The male lead in his first feature film Mary and Max was voiced by Phillip Seymour Hoffman and was inspired by Elliot’s long term New York pen pal who has Asperger’s syndrome. However, Elliot reiterates that his films are primarily pieces of fiction and that he never ‘lets the truth get in the way of a good story’.
As an independent film-maker Elliot is aware that his ability to give voice to these stories is reliant on the success of his previous work. He describes his Oscar as a ‘golden crowbar’ and explains that the best part of any award is that they make it easier to start new projects. Elliot is intent on writing and directing his own work (a determination he attributes to the animator’s need for control) and he hopes to continue making work that is free from external influences. His next project will be another feature film; a medium which he feels fortunate to work with. ‘I never thought I’d get the opportunity to make [a feature]…and as long as I’m allowed to make these pictures, I’ll be trying to make them.’ For the sake of animation, film-lovers, and cinema in general, let’s hope that’s a long time.
