by Cam Lucadou-Wells
Keysborough animator Matt Bolin is hitting funny bones across the planet with his twist on a classic fairytale.
His latest short-film comedy The Adventures of Wolfdogg and Red Ridinghood starts rather innocently with narrator and Play School presenter George Spartels.
But this film – starring a dope-smoking rapper Wolfdogg as well as a Woodstock bass-guitarist grandma – is not pitched for kids.
Like Bolin’s 2020 debut work featuring The Three Pigs, it is wowing international festivals.
Since April it’s won awards of merit at the Indie X Film Awards and the Accolade Film Festival both in Hollywood.
It was a finalist at Global Shorts in LA, semi-finalist at Vancouver, Rotterdam and Athens and quarter-finalist at the Lonely Wolf Festival in London.
And just for the first time, Bolin’s work has been accepted into an Australian film festival – the inaugural Sydney World Festival.
“They say that it’s always the toughest to make it in your own home market and that is pretty true.
“I needed to get the recognition overseas festival circuit first before my own country’s festival operators allowed me to get a foot in our door.”
Fairy tales always interested Bolin as a child – and later so did adult animation comedy.
“I basically asked the question why can’t we have an adult version of (fairy tales)?
“In a way it’s kind of like when you go into a confectionary shop you see the section which says adult candy.
“Which is usually chocolates or what-not made for grown-ups to appreciate with ingredients like liquor or dark chocolate.”
Bolin said most of the animation he enjoys is American-produced. Sadly there’s a lack of Australian content in the genre – something which he is addressing in the Wolfdogg instalment.
“The film was made with entirely Australian cast and crew.
“That was something I wanted to ensure to help bolster our own industry which always has potential when given the time of day by creatives.”
Animation takes more time and patience than live-action, he says.
“However the end result always gives me that sense of joy.”
Bolin’s catalogue of works on his YouTube channel include The Adventures of Wolfdogg and the Three Pigs and The Adventures of Father Bear and His Midlife Crisis.
He’s also produced ‘The philosophy documentary’ that looks at the role philosophy plays in our world.
The Adventures of Wolfdogg and Red Ridinghood is at youtube.com/watch?v=HK_qmZv0xQQ
Warning: language, adult themes
