Will Vinton's Claymation Comedy of Horrors
If anyone growing up in the 1990’s had a collection of holiday themed video cassettes from F.H.E. (Family Home Entertainment) then they would have had a treasure trove of Halloween or Christmas specials from Rankin Bass or Will Vinton. One of the videos I loved watching over and over again was Will Vinton’s “Claymation Comedy of Horrors” (1991). It was the second holiday special Vinton made following his Christmas special a few years prior. The Halloween special was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Animated Programming while winning the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation that same year. The story revolves around the exploits of jackass pig named Wilshire Pig and his wishy washy sidekick Sheldon Snail. The two head off to a creepy old castle in the middle of nowhere because the pig stumbles upon a map that could lead him to hidden treasure. But the castle is actually haunted with monsters and ghouls who are attending a huge Halloween convention. Among the many invites are a Norm Macdonald like skeleton, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and the Grim Reaper. It all leads up to the pig owning everyone by getting a potion that transforms the crazy scientist’s Frankenstein into a King Kong behemoth. As you can tell a lot of crazy stuff happens in the special. Wilshire and Sheldon have a Daffy Duck and Porky Pig dynamic going on. The former is a pain in the ass throughout the entire special with his get rich quick schemes and lack of concern for anyone else. Sheldon is in the Porky Pig mold in trying to being passive and rationale in the situation. Their interactions were always funny to watch. When Wilshire proclaims his triumph over everyone with the Sound of Music cue playing I always laughed my ass off because it was hilarious how they animated the sequence. The visual quality is what you would come to expect from someone like Will Vinton. The sets and character designs in the film are all intricately designed. And the animation is wonderfully brought to life through Will Winton’s Claymation process.
