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 THE
DISTRICT (Atopia)
2005. Animated Satire. 95 minutes. Color. Not Rated. Hungarian with
English subtitles. In this highly original animated feature, a group of
Hungarian teens concoct a scheme to strike it rich by going back in time
and burying a herd of mammoths, then returning to the present to drill for
the oil the creatures produce. Their activities draw the attention of
Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair and, naturally, George W. Bush. Adding to the
fun are several musical numbers featuring Hungarian hip-hop, and a riff on
the Romeo and Juliet love story.
So often when I receive a
review screener, the film itself falls far short of living up to the
description on the DVD box. I’m delighted to say The District (MySpace)
exceeds my expectations by several degrees. There are flashes of the
animated style of Ralph Bakshi and (as a quote on the box notes) South
Park, but The District is ultimately a unique vision, and a very
entertaining one to boot. There’s so much to see and hear, you’ll want
to re-watch this one to catch what you missed the first time. The
animators incorporated a number of tools via computer to create this film,
including motion capture and a modern rotoscoping technique. The result is
a bright collage of images that look both flat and three-dimensional at
the same time. The story is original, the musical numbers are fun and
catchy, and there’s a clever political message within it all. Don’t
worry though, it isn’t preachy, and if you don’t mind reading
subtitles, you’ll have a ball with The District. This is adult
stuff, with flashes of nudity and no shortage of foul language, but it’s
not gratuitous. The District is seriously one of the most
imaginative animated features you’ll see, and I recommend it highly. The
DVD includes a 30-minute making-of doc and excerpts from the original
television series that inspired the film. - Budd Layman
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