THE BUZZ:
Academy Awards: Head Over Heels Wins 2013 Annie Award
“Academy Award-nominated animated short, “Head Over Heels” has won a 2013 Annie Award, the most prestigious animation award in the world, and could very well be on its way to an Oscar. The story about a most unusual old married couple is decidedly original and twisted good fun. It is a major achievement for its director, Timothy Reckart.”
o Henry Chamberlain, ComicsGrinder.com
The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2013: Animation
“’Head Over Heels’ (by Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly) also is a strong contender for the Oscar.The story of a couple who no longer see eye to eye -- because she lives on the ceiling of their house and he on the floor -- uses a powerful sight gag to make a poignant point about romantic reconnection.
o Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post
Far From Epic Length, but on the Shortlist for Oscar Glory
“Of the animated shorts the cleverest, Timothy Reckart’s “Head Over Heels,” is a diabolical exercise in stop-motion animation in which an estranged, long-married couple occupy the same house in an upside-down world. One lives on the ceiling, the other on the floor, and they keep colliding.”
o Stephen Holden, NY Times
OSCARS: Nominees Lunch Spreads Good Vibes As Balloting Is Set To Begin This Week
“Before heading out for the lunch I watched all five Animated Short nominees (a lot of great ones) while on my treadmill. I flipped out for one called Head Over Heels and was delighted to run smack into that 11-minute gem’s director Timothy Reckart, whom I only recognized by his name tag. It’s a great lunch when you tell extraordinary new talent they have done truly Oscar-worthy work. Later I noticed him talking to Animated Feature nominee Tim Burton (Frankenweenie). The two should get together. They have a lot in common.”
o Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood
Review: The Oscar Nominated Short Films: Animated
CRAVEONLINE RATING: 10 (Highest Rating)
“The greatest animated short nominated this year is probably Head Over Heels,a heartfelt film about an old married couple living in the same house but in different worlds. Director Timothy Reckart illustrates this divide with an exciting metaphor, in which the husband lives on the floor of the house and the wife lives on the roof; or maybe it’s the other way around. When one last attempt to rekindle their relationship goes awry, the couple’s whole world comes literally crashing down. The attention to detail in Head Over Heels is staggering, particularly for a stop-motion animated movie,with the subtle day-to-day motions of this unusual living situation coming across in every frame. There may be an impressive crop of animated shorts this year, but Head Over Heels is the most fully realized of the whole bunch. Flawless.”
o William Bibbiani, CraveOnline.com
Oscar Shorts: Animation
"Head Over Heels" is a 10-minute wonder from British animator Timothy Reckart, working in a style reminiscent of Czech stop-motion puppet-master Jan Svankmajer.You could call it "A Tale of Two Gravities," in which a long-married couple find clever ways to cope with a peculiar situation: He lives on the floor and she lives on the ceiling in a floating, tumbling house that's been cleverly outfitted (like the Rube Goldberg gadgets in "Wallace & Gromit" shorts) to accommodate their constantly shifting spatial orientation. An abundance of "magic hour" lighting effects add breathtaking beauty to Reckart's meticulous craftsmanship.
o Jeff Shannon for RogerEbert.com/ChicagoSun-Times
Shorts in the Oscar Frame
This tender stop-motion animation sees an old couple who have literally grown apart, as one lives on the floor and the other on the ceiling. A product of the UK’s National Film and Television School (NFTS), it is an inventive and painstakingly constructed film that utilises the talents of numerous students from NFTS courses. Directed by Arizona-born Timothy Reckart, Head Over Heels is perhaps the most low key and sedate of the Academy Award nominees but it is also quite unique, and its exquisite technical achievements make it stand out from the crowd.
o Laurence Boyce, Screen International
Skwigly Online Animation Magazine Poll Names “Head Over Heels” to win Best Animated Short.
Tim Reckart Talks Head Over Heels
"One of the best animated shorts you’ll find from last year’s crop is one such student piece, Timothy Reckart’s graduate film, Head Over Heels. The only student film among this year’s Oscar nominees, Head Over Heels takes a poignant, funny and remarkably mature look at the inherent struggles that both define and plague relationships."
o Dan Sarto, AWN.com
A heart-warming Oscar-nominated short about an aging couple who live upside down from one another
Head Over Heels deals with a couple kept apart by gravity, but in this case, that separation represents the emotional separations they've allowed in their relationship. It's a purely fantastical film, but one that treats its setup with whimsy and simple ingenuity. If this husband and wife are to overcome their gravitational difference, they will have to apply compromise and a little elbow grease.
o Lauren Davis, io9.com
MORE PRESS:
· The Hollywood Reporter
· Variety
· Oscars.com
· The Hollywood Reporter
· Arizona Daily Star
· Huffington Post
· Screen International
· Screen Daily
· Shoot Magazine
VIDEO:
· BBC
· Head Over Heels wins Annie Award