Hunky Dory
When we are in harmony with the beauty of nature, and the moon is as round as a banjo, that's when you know everything is hunky dory.
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2024, 6 minutes, 4320 index cards
Hunky Dory - Written, Mixed & Performed by Béla Fleck
for My Bluegrass Heart (Renew Records/BMG)
And featuring Stuart Duncan, Jerry Douglas, David Grisman, Mark Schatz, Edgar Meyer, & Tony Trischka.
Recorded by Richard Battaglia; Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound
Scroll down or click here for EPK.
Screenings and Awards
"Utterly charming, with a remarkable sense of transformation, this film invites us to feel the care and effort poured into it by its creator."
Athens International Film and Video Festival, 2025
"I was awed by both the sheer labor involved, but also the hypnotizingly fluid artistry. It's an incredible artifact of animation."
Hannah Baek, Sea Slug Animation Festival, 2025
"We felt that this visual lullaby really captured a Pacific Northwest vibe, from its cloudy textures to its ever-changing blend of natural and human technology. The film additionally elevates both the lowly index card and the humble morph to new heights."
From the jury, Sea Slug Animation Festival, 2025
"While you may be able to watch this film on your phone, tablet or laptop, there is no substitute for seeing these little drawings projected on a large movie screen where the subtle details, textures and transformations can be truly appreciated!"
Anon. at an IMAX screening.
"These four thousand, three hundred and twenty hand-drawn frames of musical joy are guaranteed to convince you that, for at least six minutes and two seconds, everything is indeed hunky dory."
Woods Hole Film Festival, 2024
"The artwork here is really great and superbly tells the tale of nature vs. industry."
~Dances With Films, 2024
"Thanks for this film which is an animation short, so classical but hard worked in its technical fundamentals. The music is fit and the imaginative animal transitions are well done. We appreciate the work of a solitary filmmaker specially and you had the gentleness of noticing a particular element of you film that is related with our poster of this year (the windmills). We appreciate this kind of pieces, which are more difficult to create than the eyes of the general publc could see,
You are part from this season program.
Well done!"
Hell Chess Festival, Spain
EPK
Synopsis
Hunky Dory juxtaposes scenes of animal life with images of human existence, observing the quirky and unexpected ways in which we are similar. The meticulously hand-drawn animation is a visual smorgasbord, moving and morphing in perfect time to the banjo music of Béla Fleck and his bandmates in My Bluegrass Heart.
(click poster image for larger version)
Facts
- The 4320 drawings in the film took about 2 years, working full time.
- There are 12 drawings per second, each one is a complete work on a 3x5 inch index card.
- Each drawing is used just once, they never repeat.
- Drawings are numbered consecutively in the lower right corner.
- Coloring was done by hand using Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils.
- There is no computer animation.
- 50 different animals are depicted in the film. In order of appearance:
1.honey bee / 2.condor / 3.raccoon / 4.raven / 5.sow bug / 6.blue jay / 7.owl / 8.hermit crab / 9.skunk / 10.beaver / 11.green fish / 12.mouse / 13.barn owl / 14.earthworm / 15.acorn woodpecker / 16.giraffe / 17.cardinal / 18.skink / 19.camel / 20.snail / 21.garden spider / 22.shark / 23.goldfish / 24.deer / 25.bat / 26.polar bear / 27.fire ant / 28.sandhill crane / 29.rattlesnake / 30.housefly / 31.frog / 32.butterfly / 33.Canada goose / 34.rabbit / 35.grasshopper / 36.kangaroo / 37.snakefly / 38.black headed gull / 39.manatee / 40.rhino / 41.box turtle / 42.blue whale / 43.octopus / 44.tartigrade / 45.elephant / 46.walrus / 47.snake / 48.white pelican / 49.brown pelican / 50.yellowfin tuna -
13 humans (counting Tweedledee and Tweedledum) are depicted in the film:
1.knight in armor / 2.arborist / 3.sun bather / 4.swimmer in red trunks / 5.swimmer in blue trunks / 6.snorkeler / 7.tweedle dee / 8.tweedle dum / 9.pogo stick kid / 10.hot air balloon pilot / 11.surfer dude / 12.pope / 13.leaf-blower-guy
Film Stills
(click image for full 1920x1080 resolution)
Short Clips for Promotion
Director's Statement
This film is my visual interpretation of the song "Hunky Dory" by Béla Fleck . My animation is pure "flip-book" style; all of the drawings are done by hand on 3x5 inch index cards. There are 12 drawings for each second of film, and each drawing is complete - there are no separate layers, and there is no computer animation. Each of the 4320 drawings is used just once - much like a flip-book, there are no repeats or cycles. My process begins with a very rough storyboard. I align these sketches with the wave form of the music track, then fill out the details and make changes as I go along. This leaves room for spontaneity and improvisation, both of which are important elements in music as well as art.
Director's Bio
Northern California based artist Steven Vander Meer (b. 1963) is an animator, graphic artist and avid home brewer. He was born and raised in LeMars, Iowa, and grew up working in the family bakery before attending the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, earning a BFA in 1985. He is an internationally known animator, having won several best animation and best music video awards at prestigious film festivals; his films have been screened at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He is a 2014 recipient of the Victor Thomas Jacoby Award. Vander Meer's films span almost three decades and have screened at numerous top-tier film festivals including Sundance, Slamdance, Raindance, Annecy International Animation Festival, Melbourne International Animation Festival, Thomas Edison Film Festival (formerly Black Maria), Cinequest and Palm Springs International Shortfest.
(Click headshot image for a larger, printable version.)
