8/10
Early special-effect animation
3 August 2006
I was amazed by 'Humorous Phases of Funny Faces', a short film that combines animation with live-action, although the live action part is only a visible hand drawing the animations. The hand belongs to J. Stuart Blackton, both animator and director of this little film.

On screen we see a chalkboard where a hand draws a man. Next to him a woman appears in the same style, but now the hand is not drawing it. Then the man changes his face numerous time, or actually I should say, the animator does. This part ends with the man smoking his pipe, covering the woman in a lot of smoke (or chalk). After this Blackton throws in some experimental little things: figures slowly erased from the chalk board, a moving clown and his dog, the live-action hand who wipes out the clown, but not before he has put his hat back on his head.

Highly enjoyable and an important film in the process of animation, this one should not be missed!
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