The Animal Project

• Aaron Poole as Leo
• Hannah Cheesman as Alice
• Jessica Greco as Pippa
• Emmanuel Kabongo as Ray
• Joey Klein as Saul
• Sarena Parmar as Mira
• Johnathan Sousa as Jason
• Jacob Switzer as Sam
• Joanne Vannicola as Morag
• Lindsay Owen Pierre as Matteo

Music for the film is by Nick Storring, creating his first feature film score. Due to the film's "naturalistic tone", he notes there's little music. Storring wrote on his blog that Veninger and he "tried numerous types of things with different scenes, and in some of those cases the decision was ultimately no music at all."{{cite web|url=http://nickstorring.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/ingrid-veningers-the-animal-project-at-tiff/|title=Ingrid Veninger's 'The Animal Project' at TIFF|last=Storring|first=Nick|date=19 August 2013|location=Toronto ON|work=Nick Storring|access-date=6 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023053145/http://nickstorring.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/ingrid-veningers-the-animal-project-at-tiff/|archive-date=23 October 2013|url-status=dead}} Friendly Rich & The Lollipop People appear in the film with "Sei Spento il Sole".{{cite news|url=http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/TIFF/animal_project-directed_by_ingrid_veninger|title=The Animal Project|last=Gray|first=Scott A.|date=4 September 2013|newspaper=Exclaim!|location=Toronto ON|access-date=6 September 2013}}

In a story about Canadian films at TIFF in 2013 when the film premiered, Maclean's dubbed Veninger "Toronto’s reigning queen of DIY cinema".{{cite news|last=Hertz|first=Barry|title=TIFF's Canadian lineup unveiled|url=http://www.macleans.ca/2013/08/07/tiffs-canadian-lineup-unveiled/|access-date=5 September 2013|newspaper=Maclean's|date=7 August 2013|location=Toronto ON}}

The film premiered at the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.{{cite web |url=http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/festival/2013/animalproject |title=The Animal Project |access-date=17 August 2013 |work=TIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817032607/http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/festival/2013/animalproject |archive-date=17 August 2013 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/toronto-adds-75-titles-to-2013-edition-james-franco-alex-gibney-hayao-miyazaki-sean-durkin-and-kevin-macdonald-among-them?page=2 |title=Toronto Adds 75+ Titles To 2013 Edition |access-date=17 August 2013 |work=Indiewire}}

The film has also screened at the St. John's International Women's Film Festival, with a one-hour "making of" talkback section.{{cite web |url=http://www.womensfilmfestival.com/industry-film-forum/ |title=Industry Film Forum | the St. John's International Women's Film Festival |access-date=19 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020093848/http://www.womensfilmfestival.com/industry-film-forum/ |archive-date=20 October 2013 }} In November, it will screen at the Denver Film Festival.

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = The Globe and Mail

| rev1Score = {{Rating|2|4}}

| rev2 = National Post

| rev2Score = {{Rating|2.5|4}}{{cite web|url=http://arts.nationalpost.com/2014/06/06/the-animal-project-reviewed-a-whole-new-kind-of-petting-zoo/?_r=true|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140619174942/http://arts.nationalpost.com/2014/06/06/the-animal-project-reviewed-a-whole-new-kind-of-petting-zoo/?_r=true|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 June 2014|title=The Animal Project, reviewed: A whole new kind of petting zoo|author=Chris Knight|date=6 June 2014|work=National Post|access-date=21 October 2014}}

| rev3 = NOW Magazine

| rev3Score = {{Rating|4|4}}

| rev4 = Toronto Star

| rev4Score = {{Rating|3|4}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2014/06/05/the_animal_project_toronto_director_ingrid_veninger_breaks_new_ground_review.html|title=The Animal Project: Toronto director Ingrid Veninger breaks new ground: Review|work=thestar.com|access-date=21 October 2014}}

}}

NOW Magazine commented that "It may not be the sort of hyper-personal near-meta-fiction Veninger defined her career with, but The Animal Project seems to similarly prod the relationship between interiority and outside world."{{cite news|last=Semley|first=John|title=We stand on guard for thee|url=http://www.nowtoronto.com/tiff/2013/content-detail.cfm?contentID=13|access-date=5 September 2013|newspaper=NOW Magazine|date=29 August 2013|location=Toronto ON|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909085304/http://nowtoronto.com/tiff/2013/content-detail.cfm?contentID=13|archive-date=9 September 2013}} In a review, the magazine gave it their highest rating, "NNNN", declaring it a transitional project for the director, who "upped her game without abandoning any of her characteristic whimsy." They note the film has a narrative story unlike her previous films, and a "more formal visual style".{{cite news|last=Wilner|first=Norm|title=The Animal Project|url=http://www.nowtoronto.com/tiff/2013/film-detail.cfm?film=1703&ref=reviews&sort=highest|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130906001044/http://www.nowtoronto.com/tiff/2013/film-detail.cfm?film=1703&ref=reviews&sort=highest|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 September 2013|access-date=6 September 2013|newspaper=NOW Magazine|date=29 August 2013|location=Toronto ON}}

Highlighting actor Aaron Poole in an article, Torontoist suggested that the film was "heavy with emotional baggage but imbued with a lightness that comes from being partially improvised," suggesting it might "demonstrate a different side of Poole."{{cite news|last=Walschots|first=Natalie Zina|title=A Guide to Local Talent at TIFF 2013|url=http://torontoist.com/2013/09/a-guide-to-local-talent-at-tiff-2013/|access-date=5 September 2013|newspaper=Torontoist|date=5 September 2013|location=Toronto ON}} Ilse de Mucha Herrera for The Arts Scene website suggested that the film is "nothing short of delightful", a "refreshing" film with "a script full of passion with relatable characters and creative sequences," rating it 4/5.{{cite news|last=de Mucha Herrera|first=Ilse|title=TIFF 2013: The Animal Project – Capsule Review|url=http://theartsscene.ca/tiff-2013-the-animal-project-capsule-review/|access-date=6 September 2013|newspaper=The Arts Scene|date=31 August 2013|location=Toronto ON}}

Isabel Cupryn of Canadian Film Review commented: "With pure honesty and unwavering compassion for its characters, it's hard not to fall in love with this quiet, thoughtful film. The Animal Project is like its creator Ingrid Veninger — genuine and true to its heart."{{cite web|url=http://canadianfilmreview.com/tiff-2013-the-animal-project-capsule-review/#more-536|title=TIFF 2013: The Animal Project (Capsule Review)|work=Canadian Film Review|access-date=21 October 2014}}

Weekly newspaper The Grid suggested that the use of costumes is "less striking than it's intended to be", but "the good moments... linger vividly in the rearview mirror," offering it 7/10.{{cite news|last=Nayman|first=Adam|title=The Animal Project|url=http://www.thegriddoes.com/tiff-festival/the-animal-project/|access-date=6 September 2013|newspaper=The Grid|date=2 September 2013|location=Toronto ON}}

Pop culture website Dork Shelf suggested "the scattered moments of human observation that make up the film are almost always careful and poignant," but the overall film premise and characters' "revelatory experiences" "never [feel] genuine."{{cite news|last=Atad|first=Corey|title=TIFF 2013: The Animal Project Review|url=http://dorkshelf.com/2013/09/03/tiff-2013-review-the-animal-project/#sthash.KH8il0eU.dpuf|access-date=5 September 2013|newspaper=Dork Shelf|date=3 September 2013|location=Toronto ON}} Canadian entertainment website Scene Creek also gave a less than enthused review, 2 out of 5 stars. Critic Danielle La Valle praised the father and son conflict, suggesting it should have been the film's focus, praising Jacob Switzer's "great skill and understatement" in the role. The review cites the dysfunction of Leo needing to disguise himself and offer free hugs at his son's high school, in order to feel comfortable hugging him. She suggests that the concept of obliterating comfort zones with the costumes is incorrect, as the outfits would add a layer of comfort through anonymity.{{cite news|last=La Valle|first=Danielle|title=TIFF 2013 Review: The Animal Project|url=http://scenecreek.com/tiff/tiff-2013-review-the-animal-project/|access-date=6 September 2013|newspaper=Sun Creek|date=4 September 2013|location=[Toronto ON]}}

Toronto Star connected the film with six other Canadian films screening at the festival, all with themes of identity.{{cite news|last=Howell|first=Peter|title=Canadian films grapple with identity at TIFF 2013|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2013/08/07/canadian_films_grapple_with_identity_at_tiff_2013.html|access-date=5 September 2013|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=7 August 2013|location=Toronto ON}} Critic Linda Barnard deemed it 3/4 stars.{{cite news|last=Howell|first=Peter|title=TIFF 2013: 44 films reviewed|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/tiff/2013/08/27/tiff_2013_34_films_reviewed.html|access-date=6 September 2013|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=27 August 2013|location=Toronto ON}}

Yahoo! TIFF Blog writer Will Perkins named it among the top five Canadian films screening at the festival.{{cite news|last=Perkins|first=Will|title=The Top Five Canadian Films to see at TIFF 2013|url=http://ca.movies.yahoo.com/blogs/tiff/top-five-canadian-films-see-tiff-2013-180046529.html|access-date=6 September 2013|newspaper=Yahoo! TIFF Blog|date=30 August 2013|location=[Toronto ON]}}

{{reflist}}

• {{official website|http://punkfilms.ca/}}
• {{IMDb title|3064532|The Animal Project}}
• {{rotten-tomatoes|id=the_animal_project}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Animal Project}}

Category:2013 films

Category:2013 drama films

Category:Canadian drama films

Category:English-language Canadian films

Category:Films directed by Ingrid Veninger

Category:2010s English-language films

Category:2010s Canadian films