Earlier this year, comic book writer/artist and filmmaker Dash Shaw presented his latest animated film, “Cryptozoo” at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival to much acclaim. Shaw was primarily known for his inventive comic book work but then quickly moved into animated filmmaking with “My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea,” which was critically acclaimed and had its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.
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His latest is “Cryptozoo,” which features the excellent voice cast of Lake Bell, Michael Cera, Angeliki Papoulia, Zoe Kazan, Peter Stormare, Grace Zabriskie, Louisa Krause, and Thomas Jay Ryan. It’s a strange but apparently wonderful film about cryptozookeepers trying to capture a dream-eating hybrid creature of legend and start wondering if they should display these beasts or keep them hidden and unknown—it kind of sounds like a fantastical riff on the dilemma of modern-day zookeepers.
Here’s the official synopsis:
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Visionary comic book writer/artist/filmmaker Dash Shaw’s vibrant, fantastical animated feature follows cryptozookeepers through a richly-drawn hallucinatory world as they struggle to capture a Baku (a legendary dream-eating hybrid creature) and begin to wonder if they should display these rare beasts in the confines of a zoo, or if these mythical creatures should remain hidden and unknown. Featuring the voice talents of Lake Bell, Zoe Kazan, Michael Cera, Louisa Krause, Peter Stormare, Thomas Jay Ryan, Grace Zabriskie, and Angeliki Papoulia, CRYPTOZOO is written and directed by Shaw, with Jane Samborski directing the stunning animation.
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Magnolia Pictures will release “Cryptozoo” in the United States on August 20, 2021. Watch the first trailer below.