French Roast: A film by Fabrice O. Joubert

So much to enjoy here - deceptively simple in it's approach, this film has some of the finest attention to detail I've seen in some time.

The staging is refreshingly uncomplicated but suits the storytelling perfectly, using a tracking camera, reflections and cropped characters to great effect.

There's some great character design here, and there are subtleties in the animation that are easily missed at first glance; just look at the hands of the main character all the way through. The changes in the light as the day passes are beautifully rendered.

The cherry on the cake is the great score. There are links to the complete process in the production blog below...

• Website
• Watch the Film
• Production Blog

Mary and Max

A claymation production aimed squarely at an adult audience with a stellar hollywood voice cast? I'm all for more of this! The trailer sets this up really well, with the voice acting and visual style making for a very enticing prospect. Lots of interesting material on the website.

Meindbender Animation Studios

Something of the Spumko influence in the work of this studio? Good to see something nice and dark as an antidote to all the wholesome holiday sugariness about at the moment!

Psyop's UPS ads

New York based agency Psyop have produced a series of impressive spots for UPS. Corrugated cardboard cutouts animated in a faux stop-motion style form the basis of some very effective ads. The storytelling remains clear depsite the short time each spot has to get it's message accross - well worth a look at all of them.

• Happy Holiday
• Wild West
• Storm
• Circus
• Gladiator