This video, a paper animation of the original Star Wars trilogy by artist Jeremy Messersmith, was sent to me by a good friend and it blew my mind on every conceivable level. Messersmith manages to take a movie that is lauded for birthing the special effects revolution, break it down into its simplest components, and above all makes it work.
The animation is, to put it simply, superb. With nothing but paper as a medium, Messersmith manages to capture the essence of all three films; no small task when you consider all the effects that made the originals so captivating. All the important parts are there from Luke’s epic trench run and the battle of Hoth to Han frozen in carbonite and the climactic duel on the bridge of the Death Star.
Backing the video is the very fitting “Tattooine,” an original song by Messersmith himself. With it’s mellow yet upbeat vibe and echoing vocals, I’ve come to love the song just as much as the video. In fact, I went over to Messersmith’s website to download copies of his other songs free of charge and am excited to give them a listen later on today.
Coming on the heels of LucasFilm’s announcement that all six movies in the franchise are to be re-released yet again—this time in Digital 3D—this video reminds fans, myself included, of the magic that originally drew us in to that galaxy far, far away and that spoke to the wide-eyed eight year old in us all.
(Special thanks to Scottie for sending me this video)
