Ryan

"Ryan" is a film, directed by Chris Landreth, as a tribute to the Canadian animator Ryan Larkin. The film follows a 3D character who represents Ryan Larkin, as the real Ryan Larkin's voice converses with another disembodied character, the voice of Chris Landreth. In 2004 "Ryan" won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film and the 25th Genie Award for Best Animated Short.

Rather than giving a character facial expressions, Landreth uses psychorealism to represent each character's inside feelings with outside imagery. The animated characters' heads and bodies are all different, visualizing what they are thinking, as well as what sometimes seems to be their pasts. Brightly colored lights unfurl from Landreth's mind, sometimes wrapping around the front of his face. Almost all of the characters are missing a body part or have extensive holes covering their surfaces.

After watching this 14 minute film, I was amazed at the imagination that Landreth must have had to come up with all of the creative twists he visualizes in the film. Although the "Ryan" is set up in a way that makes it seem documentary based, using the recorded interview, Ryan Larkin's story is made to be a memorable one through the imagery Landreth creates.