Abstronic (1952) : distribution, intrigue et streaming

Released in 1952, Abstronic is an animation and musique film directed by Mary Ellen Bute, running about 6 minutes.

What it’s about. A pioneer of visual music and electronic art, Mary Ellen Bute produced over a dozen short abstract animations between the 1930s and the 1950s. Set to classical music by the likes of Bach, Saint-Saëns, and Shoshtakovich, and replete with rapidly mutating geometries, Bute’s filmmaking is at once formally rigorous and energetically high-spirited, like a marriage of high modernism and Merrie Melodies. In the late 1940s, Lewis Jacobs observed that Bute’s films were “composed upon mathematical formulae depicting in ever-changing lights and shadows, growing lines and forms, deepening colors and tones, the tumbling, racing impressions evoked by the musical accompaniment.” Bute herself wrote that she sought to “bring to the eyes a combination of visual forms unfolding along with the thematic development and rhythmic cadences of music.”

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.0/10, Abstronic has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Abstronic page.

If you liked it. Fans of Abstronic tend to enjoy Le Voyage de Chihiro, Your Name., Le Tombeau des Lucioles and Spider-Man : New Generation.