The music of local composer Sarah Galvin will be featured in a short film at Regal Cinemas across the nation this weekend as part of the Spike and Mike’s Festival of Animation. Sarah, who often plays locally with her band the Goodnight Ladies, produced an original soundtrack and audio design for festival selection “Baloney Beacon.” This animated short is directed by Max Landman (whose previous work has been seen on Adult Swim) and is, in his own words, about “a godlike alien who hungers for exotic delicacies from the deepest reaches of space,” in a stop-motion animated film made entirely with balloons.
Spike and Mike have a history of over four decades of exposing audiences to independent, experimental, and foreign animation. The festival originated in 1977 as a fifty-city cross-country tour at a time animation was seen primarily as children’s fare. Eventually developing a dedicated following, it became known for discovering top industry professionals at the start of their careers, playing a pivotal role in the rise of many household names, such as Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas), Matt Groening (The Simpsons), Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead), and Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park).
“Sarah’s work has never failed to elevate my animation projects,” says director Landman. “With her artistic intuition, she somehow manages to transcribe my vague descriptions into something better than what I originally envisioned. Sarah will always be the first person I ask to compose music for my films.”
“Max is a true auteur,” says Galvin. “He’s a visionary, crafting worlds unlike anything you’ve ever seen. He ties party balloons into subjects for surreal, compelling stories. We’re all lucky to steal a brief peak inside his imagination.”