Clay animation has always entertained all – children and adults alike. The sheer art of forming figures out of clay and animating them by using stop motion, changes idle figures into a great source of entertainment and enjoyment.
We have all come across clay animated films and commercials made for children. But here comes a brand new clay animated film that can be enjoyed by all ages. There is, however, a small prerequisite. It would be great if you possessed a little bit of knowledge of the game of chess, for this new animated short film is a game of chess.
The film starts off with two balls of clay – one white and one brown. Both balls roll on to the chess board and gradually divide into 32 pieces taking the shape of the pawns, horses, bishops, kings, etc. used in the game. The game is played by the pieces themselves with no human intervention. Initially it starts off pretty decently with one piece taking over the other but gradually the game becomes more intense. Horses develop wings, unicorns come in, a bishop is eaten up by a shark, pawns are beheaded, and snakes start slithering. An intense battle ensues with the brown army emerging victorious. The white army is completely vanquished.
The entire film has been directed and animated by Riccardo Crocetta. He has based the moves of the game on the famous 1910 Hamburg game between Roesch and Schalge. This game had seen Schalge come out victorious. This famous game was also featured in the Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Stop motion animated movies have been around since a long time. Not all are clay animation but the concept of using this technique has existed since the early parts of the 20th century. Clay animation is one part of it and a very interesting one. Every clay animation artist’s takes pride in his/her creation since he/she knows about the effort put into it. Clay animation movies are widely used in children’s programs. There have been some quite notable ones like the mischievous penguin character of Pingu and the so very hard working Bob the Builder. Even adults cannot stop themselves from taking a look at these creations.
This chess animation film has presented clay animation and the game of chess in a fresh new manner bringing in a lot of amusement into the game.
If you are a regular at this playing this game, why don’t you check out LED Chess Set Design and Magnet Chess Game.
Via: Neatorama
