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SEPTEMBER 17-30
The question one has to ask when the 24th International Tournee of Animation rolls into town is, of course, “Will there be Claymation?” Yes is the answer, yes indeed! In fact, there’s Claymation aplenty from the man who claims the term’s trademark, Will Vinton. A salute to Will Vinton Studio’s “Dimensional Artistry” comprises the bulk of this show, including the debut of his mixed-up media whiz-bang, Mr. Resistor. But as cleverly inventive and honor-worthy as he is, Vinton is not the only reason to see T24. Phil Tippett’s Prehistoric Beast proved so impressive that he was asked to work his dino-magic on Jurassic Park (would that he’d been allowed to animate the humans). Paul Berry’s The Sandman (pictured) uses puppet animation to provoke a more genuinely horrifying creep-out than all the Jasons and Freddys combined. Indeed, there’s very little here of the kind of animation that gives animation a bad name. Opens Friday at the Biograph, 2819 M St. NW. (202) 333-2696. (Dave Nuttycombe)