Weekend Fright Flick: Skeleton Dance, La Bicha, Miracle Fish

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Undead Backbrain’s Weekend Fright Flick.

First off, a cartoon. “The Skeleton Dance” (1929) was directed by Walt Disney but created by Ub Iwerks as chief animator. Iwerks was a frequent associate of Walt Disney who is also responsible for one of my favourite cartoons, “Balloon Land” (1935), featuring the very sinister Pincushion Man. “The Skeleton Dance” was the first of Disney’s “Silly Symphonies”.

Synopsis:

The clock strikes midnight, the bats fly from the belfry, a dog howls at the full moon, and two black cats fight in the cemetery: a perfect time for four skeletons to come out and dance a bit.

Next, a faux trailer for a film titled La Bicha (Spain-2006; short [1:47 min]; dir. Paco Rocha), which works as a short film in its own right.  It was nominated for Jury Award for Best Animation Short Film at ’06 Edition of “Notodofilmfest, Festival Jameson de Cine Destilado”. Script is by Juan Fernando García and Paco Rocha, based on and idea from J. F. García and Paco Villanueva, with sound, editing and post-production by Juanjo de Latorre.

Synopsis:

The trailer for a 1968 Spanish movie based upon the dropped atom bomb incident two years before on the Palomares Coast. Born of the radiation, a giant reptile rises from the sea.

Our main feature this week is Miracle Fish (Australia-2009; short [17:42 min]; dir. Luke Doolan). It has won several awards, including the BAFTA/LA Award for Excellence.

Synopsis:

Eight-year-old Joe has a birthday he will never forget. After friends tease him, he sneaks off to the sick bay, wishing everyone in the world would go away. He wakes up to find his dream may have become a reality.

• Sources/Acknowledgements: “The Skeleton Dance” — IMDb; BoingBoing via Cat Sparks; “La Bicha” — notodoflimfest.com, YouTube entry information, Juanjo de Latorre’s MySpace page via Avery; “Miracle Fish” — IMDb, QOOB: The Digital Factory via Avery.