Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann won an Oscar tonight for the Lost Thing, a short film based off Tan's book by the same name.
I am, really, the first to admit that I hold the Oscars in nothing but disdain and find that they are an endless sequence of horrors that reward poor film making, but in this case, I must admit, I am very happy for Tan. I've met him a couple of times, and I've been struck by his modesty. However, I don't really know him, and I won't claim otherwise... but I have taught his work. A lot. I have taught the Lost Thing and the Rabbits (written by John Marsden) and the Arrival. I have taught the last for many years. His work is beautiful and articulate and crosses genre and age groups in a rare way. A lot of the time, when people tell you that work crosses boundaries, it's quite often not true. Tan's work, however, does, and I am pleased to see that he will be gaining a larger audience.
I am, really, the first to admit that I hold the Oscars in nothing but disdain and find that they are an endless sequence of horrors that reward poor film making, but in this case, I must admit, I am very happy for Tan. I've met him a couple of times, and I've been struck by his modesty. However, I don't really know him, and I won't claim otherwise... but I have taught his work. A lot. I have taught the Lost Thing and the Rabbits (written by John Marsden) and the Arrival. I have taught the last for many years. His work is beautiful and articulate and crosses genre and age groups in a rare way. A lot of the time, when people tell you that work crosses boundaries, it's quite often not true. Tan's work, however, does, and I am pleased to see that he will be gaining a larger audience.
