But all too often, these new devices are left to major motion pictures (like the use of the IMAX format in 'Fantasia 2000', and the new CGI animation Deep Canvas, being pioneered in 'Tarzan'). More short films should be made to test the viability of such new devices - just like Disney's 'Flowers and Trees' and 'Steamboat Willie' were breakthroughs with their use of colour and sound respectively.

'Vincent' is, to my knowledge, the first major use of claymation, the animation technique that featured in 'Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas', directed by Henry Selick and therefore a breakthrough in animation technique. It's sad to say, however, that there was little Disney felt it could do with the film (without damaging it's reputation as the family-friendly Mouse Factory), and so it remains largely unseen by most people (with the exception of those who see it at film festivals, and on laserdisc).

It is clear that Burton was going on to great, great things - as indeed he did - and it says a great deal about the company that agreed to fund this unknown's obvious talents. Among other influences within the short are Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shelley, both of course prolific horror writers that have inspired many films themselves. Vincent Price was, it seems, just as much an icon for Burton as for me: 'House of Wax', 'The Fly', 'Theatre of Blood' - these are all films that made a great impression on Burton as a child. The narrative has a sing-song feel to it, and therefore retains an added grizzly-little-child-like nature, and the cinematography is a triumph, harking back to the classic B-movie horror films that Burton (and myself) grew up on. Based on a poem that Burton composed himself, Vincent tells the story of a little boy who wants to grow up to be just like Vincent Price, the popular horror actor, and Burton's childhood idol. Lawks - I know they lurked in the back of mine.

Funded by the Walt Disney Company whilst they were nurturing a budding young animator called Tim Burton, 'Vincent' is a lovely little exposé on the secret thoughts that lurk in the back of most little children's brains. Which is just downright silly, really - OK, chances are they will provide less huge financial returns, but companies can afford to lose the odd dollar here and there, especially when films like 'Vincent' are at stake. The art of the short film is one that is all too often overlooked by larger production companies. A brilliant, moving portrait of a young man in search of his soul. Perhaps only the late Charles Addams could relate to this lost soul (for there was, in the eyes of Addams's characters, reflected the same soul-searing pain we find in the eyes of the boy called 'Vincent'). A simple walk up the stairs becomes the scaling of an emotional Everest. But it's the EYES that reflect the innermost pain the EYES that mirror the shattered soul within the humbled husk as it trudges along.

The weight of the world virtually rests on his sagging shoulders. One can almost HEAR the tortured cry of a soul in despair as he moves listlessly from place to place, his head hung low. And, as he sinks deeper and deeper into his morose mindset, one thing becomes painfully clear: this young man is on the fast track to a rubber room. His obsession is overwhelming: he would gladly forego the dubious pleasures of a 'normal' life in favor of a life led deep in the depths of the shadows. The Expressionistic environment through which he moves is the lightless landscape of the mentally ill. VINCENT is the dark tale of a young man whose innermost desires drive him to the brink of madness.

Tim burton victor