Every time we see an animation that experiments with a wide variety of cinematic formulas, we are delighted. ‘The Battle of Lake George‘ is one of the recent surprises in this genre, offering an animated short documentary on the events of the 18th century in the Province of New York. Andrew Kouropoulos takes the best of the language of animation to give us a project that is as consistent and educational as it is dynamic. Thus, although the extremely dense historical resources he articulates are not necessarily intended for very young viewers, his short film has the necessary attractiveness to capture the attention of quite a generous palette of audience. At the same time, despite the somewhat naive visual interface, it is more than evident that the entire creative team put in a significant documentary effort. In other words, the director provides not only an accurate discourse for the chosen stakes but also precise visual details that contextualize, for example, the clothing of the armies involved or portraiture details representative of the historical figures to whose names this event is linked, such as William Johnson and Baron Dieskau.
Adopting the objective, even-handed perspective of a narrative voice that is perfectly synchronized with the progression of the action captured in the images, the director explores an important chapter in North American history, while also focusing on the biographical details of the commanders involved in this segment of the French and Indian War. Indeed, the informational consistency can be inhibiting, especially for the newcomer who might be “bombarded” with a list of names and years emblematic of the history of this part of present-day United States. On the other hand, a short docu-animation such as ‘The Battle of Lake George’ can be excellent material for teachers, a much more attractive alternative to the classic lectures extracted from textbooks. Andrew Kouropoulos, therefore, has the insight and talent to deliver a product with broad appeal while promising to follow this up with a much larger project that is sure to be at least as instructive.
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