Animator Profiles: Phil Mulloy

Phil Mulloy, best known for his short film Intolerance, began his career in animation rather late in his life. This film focuses on the origin of mankind and does so in the most disturbing way possible.
The use of the human form in his animation is fascinating, to say the very least. Not many can digest the idea of an alien being where the organs have forgotten their place and have found refuge in those parts where other organs should be.
The style of the art in this short film reminds the audience of that of a stamped drawing where a flat surface of a dissected potato or a piece of rubber or wood is craved into with an image, that image is painted over and then stamped upon a piece of paper. As Reviewer Steven Hampton states,"forget about Disney artistry, quirky Japanese anime, or photo-realistic CGI." Hampton, Steven. (2002). Video Vista. Phil Mulloy: Extreme Animation.

Fig 1: A Still From Intolerance I(2000)

Mulloy's films are more inclined towards the Arthouse cinema than anything else. The Cowboys series was not as successful due to the low level of thought dedicated to the fight sequences. They were not convincing enough and did not portray war.
With an average level of visuals present in his films, the storyline could not afford any flaws.

Having said that, Mulloy's style is beautiful in its own right. It is intentionally rough and has an appeal that is unparalleled by others. It also seems to fit into the concept of the films perfectly.
There are no obvious protagonists in Mulloy's films. As a result, his characters never attain the characteristic of beauty. They are superlatives of the word ugly.

Fig 2: A Still From Cowboys(1991)

Another one of Mulloy's less successful films was the Ten Commandments Series. It portrayed the ill effects of following the Ten Commandments. This was, without surprise, a controversial film (the genre that Mulloy is famous for contributing to).

In the year 2000, Mulloy created the trilogy Intolerance where the inhabitants of Earth discover an alien civilization with ways different to our own but strikingly similar. Mulloy favours creating his films in series. As reviewer Anthony Nield states,"It is also worth mentioning how Mulloy makes his films in themed groupings"Nield, Anthony. (2003). The Digital Fix. Phil Mulloy: Extreme Animation.
This film had a very pornographic outlook to the world and suggested that the way portrayed by the characters of the film was the way humans should behave.

Fig 3: A Still From The Ten Commandments (1994)

 Phil Mulloy's work is something that grows onto the audience. That, or it is either hated or loved.
Mulloy has a strong style and his work hits home with the audience.As Sean Gandert states, "He did grow a lot through his work, and now his films are some of the more interesting pieces of avant-garde cinema being produced today." Gandert, Sean. (2009). Paste Magazine. Salute Your Shorts: Phil Mulloy's Extreme Animation.

Bibliography:

Gandert, Sean. (2009). Paste Magazine. Salute Your Shorts: Phil Mulloy's Extreme Animation. At:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/07/salute-your-shorts-phil-mulloys-extreme-animation.html

Hampton, Steven. (2002). Video Vista. Phil Mulloy: Extreme Animation. At: http://www.videovista.net/reviews/april02/philmulloy.html

Nield, Anthony. (2003). The Digital Fix. Phil Mulloy: Extreme Animation. At: http://film.thedigitalfix.com/content/id/5909/phil-mulloy-extreme-animation.html

Illustrations:

Fig 1: Mulloy, Phil. (2000). Intolerance. http://www.hyperboreans.com/heterodoxia/?p=723

Fig 2: Mulloy Phil.(1991). Cowboys. http://www.animateprojects.org/films/by_artist/m/p_mulloy

Fig 3: Mulloy, Phil. (1994). The Ten Commandments. http://www.kino.com/press/kimstim_animation2/index.html