''The Great Cognito'' is a 1982 Oscar-nominated

claymation Claymation, sometimes called clay animation or plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine cl ...

short directed by Will Vinton.

Plot

stand up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehea ...

, known as "a man with a thousand faces", talks about

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

, transforming into and adopting the faces of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

-era figures.

Accolades

*1983: Nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year ...

Reception and legacy

Film director

Paul Bartel Paul Bartel (August 6, 1938 – May 13, 2000) was an American actor, writer and director. He was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy ''Eating Raoul'', which he co-wrote, starred in and directed. Bartel appeared in over 90 movies an ...

stated at the 1983 San Francisco Film Festival that:

He can turn himself into anyone or anything, thanks to clay animation.

The Academy Film Archive preserved ''The Great Cognito'' in 2012.

References

External links

*
''The Great Cognito'' on YouTube

''The Great Cognito'' on AllMovie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Cognito 1982 films 1982 animated short films American animated short films Films directed by Will Vinton American World War II films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films Films produced by Will Vinton English-language short films