Ever since I clapped eyes on the whimsical claymation twosome Wallace and Gromit, I have been enamoured of an artform that requires intense creativity, patience and an eye for detail.
You can’t just whip up these figures on a whim – they need a whole lot of time to be drawn, moulded and sculpted; not to mention the fact that you need to also give them personality and a sense of whimsical verve if you don’t want them to be simply pretty colourful lumps of clay (or their virtual computer-drawn equivalent) – which is why I am mightily impressed with the work of Evil Corp, a UK-based company who produced all manner of clever animated shorts and describe themselves thus on their Facebook page:
“Whilst, in the UK, our business activities are concentrated primarily in the field of Television Advertising, A Large Evil Corporation has many other interests around the globe including toxic waste management; the petrochemical industry; airlines; pharmaceuticals; crematoria; confectionary and light-entertainment.”
While I can’t vouch for the extra interests listed, I can confirm their artwork and shorts (see below) are a real delight, mixing beautiful craftsmanship, a truly creative mindset and that all important whimsical sense of fun to create characters that enchant.
They have recently finished work on their homage to the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, a series of films – Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World’s End (2013) – written by Edgar Wright (who also directed) and Simon Pegg, and have turned their creatively-inspired attention to pop culture icons like The IT Crowd, The Shining and An American Werewolf in London.
If you wanted to see more of Evil Corp’s wonderful work, check out their website, follow their Twitter account and “Like” their Facebook page.
Oh, and make sure you watch this brilliant showreel that showcases their engaging shorts in all their fabulous glory …