Mr. Resistor (1994)

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I can't say I really know what all was going on in this film, but what I can say right off is that it's funny, brilliant, engaging, and fun. A character made out of wire and other circuitry runs around wrecking havoc in some room full of gewgaws and random jumbles, eventually angering the trophies and resulting in a high-speed chase.Honestly, it's kind of a random jumble of nonsense, but it's absolutely delightful. It's the type of film that somebody makes just to experiment with different approaches, and ends up ultimately having so much energy that one forgets that it was actually made laboriously frame-by-frame. Energy is the best way to describe it, energy sparks and shoots through this work like a tripped wire.--PolarisDiB

While Will Vinton and the studio carrying his name are best known for Claymation (a term coined and either copyrighted or service marked by Vinton, but also a good general description of the animation style), the studio and/or Vinton does occasionally produce works directed by others in other styles. The Creation is an excellent example. Mr. Resistor is yet another. Using stop-motion, this is a much more serious piece than the typical Vinton release, though there are some humorous touches. Anyone looking for a pile of giggles is apt to be disappointed. But the short is engaging, the animation is top-notch and the production values are up to the usual high standards. As Vinton was shown the door (abruptly and rather unceremoniously) earlier this year, by the partner who recently acquired a larger interest in the studio, also this year, it's highly unlikely that much effort will be expended on less profitable things such as short animation, which is sad, because you can test out ideas and techniques in short films first, without the financial risks inherent in features. Part of the reason Disney was so financially successful early on was the success they had in training crews on shorts and learning what worked (and didn't) an the smaller (comparatively cheaper) projects. I hope I'm wrong, because animated shorts are an art form in and of themselves and the Will Vinton Studios were very good at them. Recommended.