SSF: “Submarine Sandwich”

A couple of years ago, PES (aka Adam Pesapane) created the shorted Oscar-nominated animated short of all time: “Fresh Guacamole,” clocking in at a svelte (yet amusing and highly-imaginative 1:41.) It didn’t win — that honor went to the wonderful “Paperman” — but it did call attention to its creator’s undeniable talent. So if you haven’t seen it before, go see it. It’s great.

Speaking of PES, he released his newest short last week, just in time for me to make it this week’s Summa Short Film (SSF). A robust (for him) 1:55, it was funded by a Kickstarter campaign in which he described the idea’s genesis:

First, by chance, I found the perfect deli slicer in a design exhibit at MoMa. I hunted down one of these exact models, The Streamliner, and I have been restoring it for the film. Then, I tracked down the truly classic, one-of-a-kind deli display case and shipped it to my studio. I have already begun to stock it with tasty morsels from the finest purveyors of meats and cheeses… except my meats and cheeses are vintage sporting equipment and the purveyors are junk shops, garage sales and eBay! I’ve always loved taking something mundane and transforming it into the unexpected through the animation process. It’s pure magic. In Submarine Sandwich, I’m taking all the stuff I’ve collected — scarred boxing gloves, time-worn footballs, hockey gloves, and chunky baseball mitts — and slicing them up in order to build the tastiest sandwich ever… though it might be a bit hard to eat!

Plus, for those (like me) who are fascinated by the process of stop-motion animation, an added delectability: a “Making Of” feature from the PES man himself. Enjoy! (Also, yes. The nostalgic haze through which I see all artistic things means that the View-Master reference is definitely my favorite moment. Stop judging me.)

Attribution(s): All publicity images and stills are the property of Adam Pesapane (PES) and are intended for editorial use only.