Sally Cruikshank

A handful of Sally Cruikshank’s characters come to life once again to explore a gallery celebrating her career highlights.

Sally Cruikshank’s wonderful “Switcheroo Cartoons” zine (printed in 1971) come to life (No projector needed!) (thanks to Amanda Bonaiuto).

Spectacle is proud to present HEAD SPACE, a showcase of animated works exploring dimensions both interior and outlying. Featuring an extremely talented and creative group working in a diverse array of styles, the shorts wander through strange and sometimes sketchy landscapes, including alternate-universe appliance stores, the ramblings of Charles Manson, environmental catastrophes in the Dutch style of painting, and a houseplant’s musings. Some, like Sally Cruikshank’s Make Me Psychic, are established classics; others feature newer animators working in looping GIF format, presented away from the small screen’s momentary pleasures to fully appreciate the art that it is. Occasionally gross, often beautiful, and always interesting, HEAD SPACE is a sampler of the thoughts happening inside and out of each frame.

I heard this song on Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Show and just had to animate to it. The lyrics were a bit odd when I really listened to them, but the rhythm was a treat. - Sally Cruikshank

This jazzy little film, which pairs Sally Cruikshank’s psychedelic style with Betty Carter’s groovy singing, is a creative exploration of what thinking and dreaming look like.

Day in the life of a shoe salesman.

A lizard's curiosity runs wild.

Everybody who's anyone is invited to a swanky soirée.

Happiness, sadness, love, and surprise manifest themselves in various ways.

An animated film compiled by David Ehrlich consisting of 27 animators from different countries all explaining themselves through their animation.

Demonstrates how one part of an object can affect the whole thing.

A frog is driving his alligator-shaped car when he is stopped by a shapely she-frog who steps into the road. She tells him that her house is haunted, so he goes along to assist.

A spoof of "The In Crowd."

A trio of picture books explain the structure of stories.

The joy of flying.

Candy commercial. With lyrics like, "chewy, delicious, bigger than your finger," or was it "bigger than you figure"? Anyway, I designed and directed this commercial right after Ruthless People. A number of very talented animators working at Playhouse Pictures did the animation. The product never took off-- it was like chewing gum, but you swallowed it.

Created and produced as a sample of the proposed (never realized) animated feature. "It was like a 30's musical in which Anita left the alligator farm to pursue her dream of opening the ultimate tropical nightclub. I had a script and storyboard [...] Nightclub of the future with live alligators and a tipsy train that serves drinks." -SC

Anita the duck buys a psychic device at a novelty store in an alternate universe and creates mayhem at a crazy party.

Quasi, a duck, spends the day at a bizarre amusement park with fellow duck Anita and a robot named Rollo, but his rude and annoying behavior soon becomes impossible for his companions to tolerate.

An early short by Sally Cruikshank. Running through various anthropomorphized creatures, this short lack a real sense of narrative.

"I made this film when I went to the San Francisco Art Institute, after graduating from Smith a semester early. It was my reaction to California. [The song] "Sweeping the Clouds Away" is sung by Charles "Buddy" Rodgers, who was Mary Pickford's husband. Huh? Who? The doctored photo was of an astronaut on the moon-- I thought he looked like a duck and made him one. From 1971-- Yikes!" -SC.

An early short film by Sally Cruikshank.