This Irish born, Berlin-based animator has accumulated a lot of fans over the years with his work such as 2009’s award winning “Please Say Something”, 2008’s bizarrely engaging child-like animation “Octocat”, and his breakthrough 2006 piece “WOFL2106”. Getting a cult following for his animated work, David OReilly now returns with his latest offering “The External World”.
After being premiered at the 67th Venice Film Festival, it’s such a joy to see this online. Bursting to the brim with ideas, it’s a tour-de-force of comedy script writing, timing, and well placed technical ability.
Having been lucky enough to catch OReilly’s Talkshow with Fons Schiedon at Holland’s fantastic Playgrounds Festival, I can see OReilly’s quick-fire comedy influences clearly at play here (Adult Swim’s Xavier: Renegade Angel springs to mind). But, like any well used influence, OReilly has spring-boarded off these shows to create his very own dark, twisted world.
What I was left with after watching this piece was the renewed sense of why I fell in love with animation in the first place… the sense that anything is possible, given time, energy and talent. You can create a world where you’re able to let you imagination come alive, without boundary.
It’s the pure dedication to applying this principle that makes OReilly such a unique and truly inspirational animator and film maker, and, for me, “The External World” cements OReilly’s place as one of the most exciting talents in animation in the world at the moment.
This has been amended since original posting -ML