From Omeleto.
A car race turns tragic.
THE 1971 KITCHEN GRAND BRIE is used with permission from Ian Beckman. Learn more at https://kitchengrandbrie.com.
The Kitchen Grand Brie is the greatest, most perilous race in the whole house, where foods compete for the glory of winning and the opportunity to live in the fridge and stay fresh forever. Armando Fettucini — the most beloved and hated delicacy on the grid — is on the verge of winning a fifth time. But the other dishes — such as Sofia Dulche, a dessert out to prove herself worthy in a field of main entrees, and Marc Patate, a poutine new to the race — are fierce competitors and believe Armando is resorting to questionable tactics to rack up the wins.
When the other dishes decide to stop Armando, they take advantage of controversial racing strategies and tactics. But in doing so, they set off an unprecedented chain of events that may change this "greatest race" forever.
Directed and written by Ian Beckman, this clever, playful short animation is an inventive combination of true crime story, sports drama, 70s-era Formula 1 nostalgia and a dash of Mario Kart thrown in for good measure. Telling a tale of professional jealousy, desperate ambition and the competitive drive gone amok, its chronicle of the downward spiral of the "kitchen’s greatest race" leans on witty writing, eye-pleasing stop-motion animation and sheer imaginative power to draw viewers into its darkly whimsical world.
Rendered in vivid colors and rich nostalgic detail, the narrative takes advantage of its quirky milieu to weave in irony, wit and charm, as various foods compete with deadly seriousness in the race around the kitchen. There’s plentiful opportunity for humor, with delightful flourishes of characterization and verbal wit sprinkled throughout the mockumentary format. Ernie Penne is a traditional chauvinist; Marc Patate is a wide-eyed naif; Sofia Dulche is a tough-as-nail dessert who doesn’t hesitate to call out "motherforkers." Their chief nemesis is five-time winner Fettucini, who reportedly uses dirty methods to dominate the race.
While the visuals have a playful, almost childlike appeal, rooted in old-school racing culture, the storytelling is action-packed, providing a sturdy foundation for the film’s creativity and laying out a dark drama rife with retribution, conspiracy and betrayal. While the world-building demonstrates an ingenuous level of invention, turning ordinary domestic objects into weapons of destruction, the narrative doesn’t stint on the real feelings of resentment, anger and hatred fueling the drivers. When that competition gets out of hand, the consequences are real and devastating, as everyone does everything and anything they can to win.
Darkly funny and entertaining, THE 1971 KITCHEN GRAND BRIE is visually dazzling in many ways, but its gift for storytelling makes it truly distinctive. It delights in its exuberant sense of play, but it also has absorbing drama underneath the fun, as well as vividly realized characters, brought to life by voice actors John Fantasia, Doriana Schoner and Edward Schwartz with both humor and emotion. The film is an entire world bursting to the seams with sharp wit and high spirits, with a level of detail that rewards multiple viewings, and its imaginativeness could easily fill a longer narrative. As it stands, it’s a very satisfying shorter meal about ego, competition and blinding ambition run amok — and the painful consequences of it all.
