Profound Whatever

In Josh Raskin's 2007 masterpiece "I Met The Walrus", a 1969 interview between a then 14 year old Jerry Levitan and the voice of his generation John Lennon was masterfully and has since been made into this animated short film. This 1969 interview was conducted in somewhat of an odd manor, when the 14 year old followed Lennon back to his hotel, and snuck into his hotel room armed with the tape recorder with which he would capture the eloquent, poetic words of former Beatle, John Lennon.

Almost 50 years later the public got to see, and hear this interview thanks to the brilliant work of a few men. Illustrator, James Braithwaite, animator and director Josh Raskin, and producer and boy-journalist Jerry Levitan. “I just wanted to literally animate the words, unfurling in the way I imagined they would appear inside the head of a baffled 14-year-old boy interviewing his idol,” Raskin said. (Hudson) This simple yet wildly creative means of conveying Lennon's every word to the audience does just as Raskin intended and that is to create a message that transcends time. In the press kit for the short Raskin states his intent quite clearly, saying, "The film is not just a historic recording. The film is not just an amusing anecdote, rampant with witty turns of phrase. This film is not just a kaleidoscope of masturbatory nonsense. This film is a vital reminder that the state of the world is not a given. It can be changed." 

John Lennon was a pastor for peace. His voice was that of the generation, he aimed to praise peace and its power, and to silence the "profound whatever" that was and still is so common. This short is visually striking, the clever, witty animations not only add a great deal of merit to the words of Lennon but give them that third dimension that bolsters their strength. The aesthetics behind this animated short rely on the interview for their success, without the words, the images would mean nothing. The same does not stand true of the words. Lennon's poetic brilliance edited down to five and a half minutes falls nothing short of magnificent regardless of the support of the animation.

The film shines with brilliance and it did not go overlooked. Nominated for a laundry list of major film awards including a 2008 Academy Award nomination for best animated short, as well as several other smaller film festivals spanning across the globe. This very specific style of illustration and animation has been copied since the release of the film for various advertising campaigns including Coca-Cola, Quiksilver, and Microsoft.

John Lennon and his attitude toward peace is something that most are very familiar with. This animation takes that attitude and bolsters it to a new level, showing the world in an aesthetically striking way the power of words.

Citations:

http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2009/microsoft-people-ready-for-everybodys-business/

http://www.theeyeopener.com/article/3750