And Now for a Moment of Childhood Messedupness

Do you recall when computer animation was in its exploratory phase? And have you ever repressed memories of being **assaulted by really trippy experimental 3D animation sequences? (For Canadians, that would have most likely occurred on YTV during the weekends sometime in the 90's.) Are you now getting painful shivers at the base of your spine? Perhaps a twinge in you sinuses like I've just opened up a jar of cayenne pickled asparagus?

If you aren't feeling it, not to worry— you either have no clue what I'm talking about or you just aren't like me. That's not necessarily a bad thing because God knows I needed therapy after viewing segments from the grossly underrated and elusive Gate to the Mind's Eye series of 3D animated shorts, among other things. Again, back in YTV's hay-day, filling those 2-10 minute gaps between weekend programming, especially in the afternoons became a grounds for exposing youths to bright, emblematic and always creepy animated segments which more or less involved stories about evolution, peace to mankind, or a little dog named "Styro". You may remember these shorts simply titled "Short Circutz."

As for me being disturbed for years after their initial run, well, that just reflects the brittleness of my psyche and my caveman dislike for all things ultra-colorful, symbolic and cathartic (No really— the "Pyramid" segment used to make me weep and gag simultaneously. Don't ask how I could 'relate' to butterfly people, I just could!) And while I can't exactly explain why those shorts impacted me the way they did, if you’re in the neighborhood of making me feel like less of a screwball, share your childhood experiences viewing Mind's Eye shorts, etc..., or just tell me how they make you feel right now.

I'll now leave you with a few of my favorites (I have since gotten over my fear of 3D animation):

Civilization Rising



Styro the Dog



Bells and Whistles



The Pyramid




All Shapes and Sizes



Enjoy!

~CMK

**The phrase "sporadically bombarded" sounds like something a monkey would type up after ingesting a bottle Listerine and a handful of ritalin. It kills me how bad my writing is at times...