''Next'' is a short film created by

Aardman Animations Aardman Animations Limited (also known as Aardman Studios, simply Aardman or Aardman Animation and stylised as AARDMAN as of 2022) is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England. It is known for films made using stop-motion and clay ani ...

. Its full title is "Next: The Infinite Variety Show."

Plot

William Shakespeare auditions for an undetermined role in front of a bored Peter Hall with references to his play in under five minutes.

Cast

*Barry Purves - ''Will, a poor player (animation)'' *Roger Rees - ''Peter, a Producer (voice)''

Production

The film was commissioned by Channel 4 as part of a 5-part series of Aardman animations called " Lip Synch": Creature Comforts (1989), Going Equipped (1990), Ident (1990), Next (1990) and War Story (1989).BFI Screenonline: Next (1989)
/ref> Peter was voiced by

Roger Rees Roger Rees (5 May 1944 – 10 July 2015) was a Welsh actor and director, widely known for his stage work. He won an Olivier Award and a Tony Award for his performance as the lead in ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby''. He also re ...

and is reading one of Hall's books. The halo indicates that he represents

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

, and that Shakespeare is auditioning to get into Heaven. The film references all of 37 Shakespeare plays. A clip of this short was shown in the 2003 documentary Animated Century.The Animated Century-Rembrandt Films
/ref>

Critical reception

On imdb, Next received a rating of 7.3/10 from 188 users.

References

External links

''Next'' on IMDBExcerpt on Vimeo''Next'' on YouTube
1990 animated films 1990s animated short films Films based on works by William Shakespeare 1990 short films 1990 films British animated short films 1990s English-language films 1990s British films {{1990s-short-animation-film-stub