Each week the folks at Cinema Circus show a series of short films on Wednesday evening at the Chilmark Community center. The films begin at 6 p.m. but the circus — complete with jugglers, face painters, stilt walkers, food and music — gets underway at 5 p.m.

An advanced screening of the films was arranged with a young cineaste. This week’s reviewer is Isabella Thorpe.

Pishto Goes Away (Dir. Sonya Kendel / Russia / 2011 / 9 min.)

This animated film was made in Russia. The main character, Pishto, was cranky. Then he got so cranky he decided to leave his home on the farm. So he went to the bus stop, but he misses the bus. A little puppy changes Pishto’s mind and they head home together. This film is all about animals, which makes it different. This is a sweet movie. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Tom & the Queen Bee (Dir. Andreas Hykade / Germany / 2011 / 5 min.)

An animated story about Tom and the Queen Bee. The five main characters are Tom, three bees and the Queen Bee. All Tom wants is a piece of bread with strawberry jam and honey on it. But due to the bees, at first he cannot get what he wants. And then eventually he gets something better; much better. He spends the rest of the day thinking about that something. And he is very happy. I like this film because I think it’s cool and unique. I rate it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Hungarian Folktales: A Talking Grapevine, a Smiling Apple, and a Jingling, Tingling Peach (Dir. Maria Horvath / Hungary / 2011 / 8 min.)

This is a classic animated fairy tale. It has subtitles in English and they come and go fast. My mom read them to me. The main characters in this story are a king, three beautiful daughters and a pig that holds a secret. When the king goes off to the market they each have a request. The youngest daughter is the hardest one — she wants a talking grapevine, a smiling apple and a jingling tingling peach. Although this may seem impossible, her request is fulfilled at the end. I rate this film a 2.5 out of 5 stars due to the subtitle speed.

Boris the Rat Defends Animal Rights (Dir. Kaisa Penttila and Leena Laaskelainen / Finland / 2012 / 5 min.)

Boris the Rat is an animated film about a rat that is naughty like rats are. He makes a friend with a fish and he mends his ways and starts to defend animal rights. He thinks throwing sticks for dogs is not good! And he does not think it is fair that police go into the sauna at 100 degrees and the ducks go in at 80 degrees. Boris ends up embarrassing his friends and goes to jail until his friend comes and saves him. He learns a lesson about friendship. I liked this film. It was a little bit odd. I rate it a 3 out of 5.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee (Dirs. Ed Mironiuk and Kris Tercek / U.S.A. / 2012 / 9 min.)

This is my favorite film of all. It is very well drawn. It is about Amos McGee who works at a zoo. He is very good friends with a chess playing elephant, a rhinoceros, a fast tortoise, a shy penguin and an owl who is afraid of the dark. The animals love him and he loves them. He visits them every day. One day Amos McGee has the sniffles and sneezes and the chills. So starts a sick day for Amos McGee. This film is very sweet. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Meatballs and Sorry Bullies (Dir. Johan Hagelback / Sweden / 2012 / 5 min.)

This film is interesting because it is about meatballs. One girl meatball was bullied and she cried. The bullies ended up feeling sorry for her. They went over to her house and had an “I am sorry party!” Although this film was in Swedish it is still very easy to understand and follow. This film is about bullying which is an important topic for both kids and parents. This type of bullying is very common. I wish all bullying had this end result. I liked this film and I rate it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Anwylyd and the Donkey (Dirs. Corris Primary School / U.K. / 2011 / 8 min.)

This is a classic animated fairytale. It is about a jealous sister and a prince. The little village girl saves the day. People turn into animals such as a donkey and a peacock. The story has a very happy ending. I really liked this film and I rate it 4.5 stars out of 5.

Professor Projector: Story Structure (Dir. Scott Barrow / U.S.A. / 2013 / 5 min.)

Review by special guest reviewer Charlotte Scott

This movie was about stories ­— how stories begin and how stories end. And how they have a middle. They always have a character and usually the character is doing something. I liked it when Mr. Peeps tried to hop up onto Professor Projector when his head was in a little squeezy space. When he heard Mr. Peeps, Professor Projector tried to pull his head out and knocked over the Strongman’s photos. So he had to figure out what the story was to put them back into order. In the photos the Strongman was really weak and hungry. He wanted to eat cereal to get stronger. He tried to open the box with scissors and it didn’t work. Then he tried to open the box with pliers and it worked! Then he got a bowl and a jug of milk and finished up his cereal. The end.

The Review on the Reviewer

Name: Isabella Thorpe
Age: 10
School name: Chilmark School, going into 5th grade.
Name of pets: Theo (dog), Satin (pony), Tupper (pony), Milkshake (rabbit).
Something new you are learning: How to be a critic!
New place you would like to explore: A volcano.
New food you recently tried: Scallops.
Favorite thing about Martha’s Vineyard: Horses!
What do you want to do/be when you grow up: Horseback rider.
Anything else you want us to know about you: I love music, art and sports.