Sausage - The Animated Film is now online!

It's a film I've been wanting to see for a looooong time but now it's here, and during the start of Sausage Week too, I present to you... Sausage - The Animated Film.

After an amazing run on the festival circuit, collecting no less than 8 awards and being in contention for an Oscar, Robert Grieves Sausage is finally online for us all to take a gander at. I missed it at the few festivals I've attended over the last year so today couldn't have come sooner. Sausage is a tale of two food stall holders, a man who sells sausages and a woman who sells bread and cakes. Business is going well until a rival stall holder sets up, selling everything they sell but cheap and nasty versions. As the competition starts to spiral out of control our quick thinking duo come up with the perfect recipe for success.

As a big fan of the classic Cartoon Modern myself it's great to see this technique on show and in a abundance within Sausage. In an interview with Skwigly, director and animator  Robert Grieves explains that it all started when "the book ‘Cartoon Modern’ came out, and everything came together in a rush of inspiration". Tired of constantly doing his day job of motion graphic films for commercial and corporates he wanted a new challenge, something to drive his creativity and demonstrate his directorial instincts.

The films story is a classic tale redefined with modern ideals. Not sure how much of a political point Robert is trying to make (about capitalism) but none the less it s something we can all relate too. The animation is well conceived and there a lot of flourishes and quick comedic moments interspersed within the film that are reminiscent of the Hanna-Barbara cartoons of old. Perhaps a few more would have really helped to push this film further but overall it has to be up there with one of the best animated films this year. A deserved Oscar contender. We all wait with bated 'sausage fuelled' breath for the short list.