ClassyWas Excellent, smart action film.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Sanjeev Waters A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Walter Sloane Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Stompgal_87 I saw this film for the first time this evening when it was shown at my university just before my animation course leader interviewed Suzie Templeton, director of this masterpiece. It's hard to determine if this is the first or second adaptation of 'Peter and the Wolf' I have ever seen - I probably saw the Disney Mini Classics version when I was a child or just its trailer.Further to this version, the characters are well-crafted and their poses and facial expressions, particularly on the humans, the wolf and the cat, are natural but their movements are quite jerky and sometimes slow, whereas the animation on the bird trying to steal Peter's balloon is well-done since attempting to animate a bird flying in stop- motion is believed to be difficult to master. The backgrounds on the other hand are detailed and realistic. Although there is no spoken dialogue, there are still human vocal sounds like grunts, growls, gasps and laughter and the facial animation is expressive enough to communicate the characters' feelings. The music is sparse to begin with but I like the main composition because it is cheerful, memorable and is played in different arrangements. The music is variable with different instruments representing each character and changing its mood. It does a sound job with driving the narrative while The sound effects are plentiful and also realistic. There are few humorous moments such as the bird pooing on the cat if this is crude. There are also poignant and tense moments. Water is used well, especially when the cat falls through the frozen pond and tears form in Peter's eyes before he sees the wolf for the first time. The ending was tense but quite abrupt.Overall, this is an intricately detailed if slightly unevenly-animated stop-motion piece with its music being the strongest point. 9/10.

dland In interviews on the DVD, Templeton says that hers is a darker Peter & The Wolf than others. Compared to Templeton's other work (the brilliantly crafted, deeply moving, but thoroughly distressing "Dog" and the creepy "Stanley", for instance), and considering the way she ends her "Peter", I'm not sure it's as dark as she thinks it is.This Peter and the Wolf is clearly not for little kids (when the wolf eats Duck, Peter's best friend, there's no hint that she — swallowed whole in a single gulp in Prokofiev's tale, but taken in several gore-free bites here — is alive and quacking in the end), but for anyone old enough to appreciate the scope of this mini masterpiece, a rewarding discovery awaits.The sense of connection between Peter and the Wolf is palpable. Two starving beasts get a taste of what they crave: The Wolf, a scrawny duck, and Peter, escape from his grandfather's stern, austere care. If you crave stop-animation with depth, substance, and beauty, you will find this brief film a 30-minute treat, too.

melissa_and_brian I recently caught the PBS showing of this Oscar winning short and was engrossed by the terrific stop motion puppet animation. It is among the finest animation I've seen and shows animators are still using many of the old techniques (non computerized) to good use.Not only was the animation first rate, but I felt it offered a perfect accompaniment to Sergei Prokofiev's composition. I have fond memories listening to Peter and the Wolf as a child on my parent's record player. This adaptation provides a wonderful visual for the story that I only could imagine as a youth. I also found the additional filmmaker's comments on how this project came together insightful. I have very minor qualms with this production as I have tried to reconcile my imagination of how the story should look with the creative vision of the directors of this film. Overall, it is a fine piece of work and was well deserving of its acclaim.

LDB_Movies The animation in this re-imagining of Peter & the Wolf is excellent, but at 29 minutes, the film is sleep inducing. They should have called it "Peter & the Snails", because everything moves at a snail's pace. I couldn't even watch the film in one sitting - I had to watch it 15 minutes at a time, and it was pure torture.Save yourself 30 minutes - do not watch this film - and you will thank me.I can only guess that the Oscar nominating committee only watched the first few minutes of the nominees. Unfortunately, to vote for the winner in the Best Animated Short (short!) category, the voters will have to sit through the whole thing. I already feel sorry for them - and must predict that there's no way this film will come close to winning.