Some of your out there may remember Nina Paley, an indie cartooner who went on to create the syndicated Fluff, but has lately been pretty much absent from comics pages. That’s because she’s become an animator and her SITA SINGS THE BLUES is playing at this week’s Tribeca Film Festival. Friday’s premiere is already sold out, but tickets are still available for subsequent showings. The film has garnered praise from NPR and the like for its whimsical retelling of the Ramayana interspersed with a contemporary story of a woman following her husband to India, all told with animated shadow puppets, Busby Berkeley-style Bollywood musical numbers and other multimedia effects. Paley animated the whole thing herself. The trailer is above, but here are some stills.
One of my all-time favorite cartoonists! This looks like a lot of fun!
Heidi, thanks for bringing this to my attention. Ramayana is one of my favorite books, and this take on it looks like loads of fun!
I saw a clip of this that Nina showed at an animation festival here in L.A. a few months ago. It was absolutely gorgeous and fun! Highly recommend checking it out.
I used to love her comic strip.
Highly recommended. It’s brilliant.
A great cartoon! Great soundtrack!
Beautiful.
Fantastic! I’ve missed Nina Paley’s work. The dancing cows are eerie.
Wow, that looks fantastic!
Oooo. Divine!