The results for the tenth sort-of annual Twenty-four Hour Animation Contest are in! The theme was "A Grand Unveiling".

It was a real pleasure watching all these films. There was a really high standard for THAC this time, excellent work by all entrants! Each entry from top 20 is accompanied by a short review from BertL, I hope you find them insightful.

Here we go! The - *ahem* - grand unveiling of the THAC X results!

Le Special by ForlornCreature
"Le Special is one of the funnier brickfilms that have come out of this year's THAC. The voice acting is great, and the story is told in a visually funny and pleasing way. I particularly loved the creativeness of the chef's expressions and animation style towards the end. The only downsides are some of the technical aspects: the animation was choppy at times, and the film suffered from light flicker issues. Overall I would say that this is one of the best THAC entries of this year."

STEAM by Aquamorph
"STEAM is one of those films that goes into a wholly different direction. Most THAC entries are short, jokey films that tell half a story. In AquaMorph's entry, steam and industrial revolutions are central. It's a bit risky: after 10 THACs, the viewer's expectations may not be as prepared for this somewhat more serious film. STEAM manages to pull it off, though, and in a great way: it's technically flawless on almost every level, and the theme is interpreted in a very creative, unique way."

Hidden by OlsonStudios
"Hidden is one of the few THAC films which did not take the comedic route, and I think the "action movie" style here is pretty good. The visual aspects are very nice in terms of colour and cinematography (the animation is a bit choppy though), and the audio is mixed well. I think that from around the first gunfight the film becomes less interesting though, and that's a shame. Hidden starts out suspenseful and pulls that off well, but starting from the first gunfight the film loses its edge. It doesn't help that the ending is a bit bland and a slight letdown. Overall I think this film had a lot of potential but ultimately fails to deliver."

Hooray! All the above entrants win prizes. All the ones below win the bragging rights for having finished a THAC.

4th place
The Lost Invention by Squid
"The Lost Invention, despite being one of the weakest shortlisted entries in terms of its technical aspects, is surprisingly entertaining. The camerawork and animation are average at best, but that does not take away from the film's other qualities. Implementation of the theme is not very original, but the story is told well and the jokes are funny. I think what saves this film is the voice acting - all of the roles are done really well, from the "silly leprechaun" style to cool talking horses to crazy, crazy people. Overall, because of its average technical quality, the film has an old school feeling to it, and I really liked it."

5th place
A Shocking Secret by KG
"KG strikes again with a great short in his distinctive style. Technically it's very well executed, and there are so many nice aspects about this film. The voice acting, the sound design, the unique humour and animation style: they're all of high quality. What is so cool is that the brickfilm works as a THAC film as well as a "normal" brickfilm. A Shocking Secret is definitely a worthy contender."

6th place
The Grand Stratagem by BuilderBrothers
"The Grand Stratagem has a cool concept, and you gotta love aliens. I was not completely blown away, though... don't get me wrong, the sound and cinematography were good, and I really like the story and narrating. How did you get Alan Rickman to voice for your film!? I am not a big fan of the whole digitalness of the film, though: almost every shot was pretty manipulated digitally, whether it be compositing, over-the-top colour correction or more complicated CG effects. I think this really hurt the physical aspects of the film, though: there is hardly any physical animation to speak of (which I personally think should be central in a brickfilm), and it feels like it's only one step away from being a computer-animated film. Ultimately I feel that the film's good sides don't weigh up against this. Nonetheless, The Grand Stratagem certainly is worthy of a spot in the top 20."

7th place
Red Eye by Nick Durron
"Red Eye has an interesting premise that is executed quite well. A lot of attention appears to have been spent on making the film look and sound great, and everything comes together. One minor downside may be the voice acting which, although it fits in the film, can be a bit distracting. The film noir style was cool though. Storywise I feel Red Eye is a bit of a let down - the story elements appear really random and disjointed. All in all, Nick Durron brings another great THAC entry, though."

8th place
The Magician by Leonardo812
"I don't really know what to think of The Magician. I certainly like the film's cinematography and animation style, and the story is told well as well. There's so many small things about the film that slightly bother me, though: the distracting "constant tilting" camera effect, the digitally rendered cloths, the somewhat too dramatic music... all tiny things that kind of bummed me out. I don't mean to sound too negative, though - this film not bad, but it does lack something."

9th place
No Crawme's Sing Along THAC by Sean
"The "No Crawme Broke Out" mania continues in THAC X, but it has given forth a few good films. Sean's No Crawme's Sing Along THAC is probably the best of these. It is a creative short musical telling the story of a man named No Crawme, and also features a cameo by the delightful voice of CarrollFilms. Technically, it is not flawless: there is slow animation in some parts and the sloppy chrome keying is a bit of an eyesore. Nonetheless, the great story and humour make No Crawme's Sing Along THAC one of the best entries out there."

10th place
The Disrupted Reveal by AnW
"I'm not sure what to think of The Disrupted Reveal. There's nothing about it that particularly stands out, and that could be both a good and a bad thing. The audio levels were a bit all over the place (especially comparing the voices to the sound effects), and I'm not a big fan of the digital curtain effects. I feel that the comedic timing could also use some work. Overall though, these points aren't bad things per se - the film could have been executed better, though."

11th place
Pop Art by JackCampise
"Pop Art is such an enjoyable film in part because it does not need any voice acting to do its storytelling. The story is simple, straightforward, and easy to follow, but it does feel like it's lacking some sort of heart or motivation. (Then again, THAC... ) What does bother me is some of the technical aspects - the film would be much better and more polished if some more attention was given to the sound effects (the music is fine), animation, and cinematography. All in all, Pop Art is a fun little film that might be best described as a diamond in the rough."

12th place
I Cannot Tell Them by Binding Brick
"I Cannot Tell Them is I guess a "historical drama" of sorts. The story is good, and told well (though the ending felt weird and rushed). I love the fact Binding Brick used several settings and scenes in this film - you don't see this too often in THAC entries. Stray observation: that cat animal thingie gave me a chuckle. Overall, I think the project was a bit too ambitious, though: not only was the ending weird, but the film could also have benefited from more attention to the sound. The voice acting was fine, but the sound effects were incredibly sparse. All in all, I Cannot Tell Them is a good THAC entry."

13th place
Captain Obvious 2: A Grand Unveiling! by Pritchard Studios
"Pritchard's THAC entry is one of the most difficult to judge. It has some very good things in there: the animation is good, and some of the special effects (especially that whole 'teleporting' effect) are very creative and cool. On the other hand, the story feels a bit all over the place, and some of the technical aspects (mainly the lighting in the opening and the strange "falling camera" thing) do not really help out the film. The title is very uncreative as well. Overall though, I think Captain Obvious 2 is an entertaining film which does have a lot of things going for it."

14th place
The Adventures of Dungeon and Dragon - What's in the Box? by thefourmonkeys
"thefourmonkeys' entry has some real character to it. While a lot of the film's aspects seem a bit rushed (the music in the second half of the film) or unnecessary (the mouth animation), What's in the Box has some great voice acting and cool characters. The animation was good (although quite sparse) but some of the effects, like the masking and an explosion, felt a bit sub-par. All in all a good THAC entry."

15th place
Prototype- 8 by wenchance
"Prototype 8 is a well-made THAC entry that is technically fine. Storywise I was hoping for more - what was there isn't bad, but it feels incomplete. (However, it's THAC, so that bad point is forgiveable.) The "alternative face" that was visible beneath the guy's hair was distracting, though."

16th place
Frozen Art by SuburbAnimationStudios
"Frozen Art has what is probably the smoothest animation of all THAC entries, and that means a lot for this contest. The joke is good, and told very well. The film does have some flaws, though: in contrast with most other shortlisted films, the theme is not implemented in a very original way in Frozen Art. Additionally, the sound design is very basic and could have done with some more effort. Overall, though, Frozen Art isn't bad at all!"

17th place
Mr. Kane's Machine by AniMax
"Mr. Kane's Machine is a film with great cinematography and animation. The story is a bit basic and leaves a lot to be desired, but all in all it's not bad considering this film is a THAC entry."

18th place
Mad Science Fair by MonsieurCaron
"Mad Science Fair is a fun little film. The theme isn't used in a very original way, but the film makes up for that by presenting us with some interesting builds. The animation and voice acting aren't the best either, but they do not take away much from the film's entertainment value. I really liked the animation of the robot and spider - even if the framerate was a little low. Overall, a good entry."

19th place
IL UN VE by ahnt
"IL UN VE is a great interactive brickfilm, something you don't see often (especially not for THAC), and I love that idea. My main problem is that the viewer is never really told what he's supposed to be doing. Don't get me wrong: once you've gone through all the steps, you understand perfectly what's behind every door and the steps you needed to take, but it's never explained to you that you need to find the way out. The animation of the machinery was great, but some other technical issues (shots not lining up properly, light flickers) can be a bit distracting, especially when you're seeing that same shot over and over again. The sound was a bit basic as well. Overall though, I like the concept of IL UN VE a lot, but I feel it could have done with better execution."

20th place
The MEGA BRICK by AnimationIsaac
"I'm not too sure of this film - it's not bad, but it does not really have a lot going for itself either. Technically it has aspects both good and bad: some details, like the echoes on the voices, are very nice, but the volume levels are all over the place (the voices are too soft compared to the explosions) and I can't say I'm a fan of the voice acting itself. The ending caught me by surprise, and seems very deus ex machina. Overall, it is worthy of a top 20 spot at the least, though."

21st place
Pretention-Off by MaxButcher

22nd place
Unchained by Legoander

23rd place
From Under the Bed by Willow Tree

24th place
Unveiling Who We Are by Clonecam

25th place
Of Chefs and Critics by Raining Dumplings

26th place
It's About Time by Chris W.

27th place
Cut in Half by Coolman Films

28th place
3PM by Nicky McVay

29th place
Mr. Hamilton's Find by GHB Productions

30th place
A CRIME UNVEILING MURDER VEILING by Lucas

31st place
THE HORRIFIC OBJECT by Just Kidden

32nd place
Fishy Business by Packrat Productions

33rd place
Behind the Bush by Noobster Studios

34th place
Confessions by ostak

35th place
The Zoo's New Exhibit by Mickey

36th place
For Life by DaFlynness

37th place
The Unveiling by thedoorwaystudio

38th place
The Grand Opening by LASF

39th place
Max The Magician by DewVinci

40th place
Mr. Sir and the Unexpected Encounter by Walter Benson

41st place
The Case by An UnknownBrickfilmers

42nd place
no title by Realm of the Unreel

43rd place
The Sliceonator by BrickfilmsFromHell

44th place
Overtaken by Tbonesocrul

45th place
The Ironic Brick by minifigurestudios

46th place
THAC VIII by TheBrickFlicks

47th place
Escaping Shawshank Prison by Skyawalker

48th place
Real Imagination by LegoMovieFanatic

49th place
The Artifact by Mighty Wanderer

50th place
Project M by END Films

51: The Sculpture by Kobblethepenguin
52: A Green Unveiling by Hikaru755 (aka Double-R Picture Productions)
53: ~A Brand n3w INV3NTI0N~ by DT98FILMS
54: I Got Something by Funtastic Films
55: The Invention by jcharsch
56: Lego: The Secret Unveiling by fartifartek
57: On The Prowl by not4snail
58: Unveiling THAC X by Chris Foster Cunningham
59: Unexpected Expectations by KTproductions121
60: Unveiling the House Thief by cynbark
61: The Mugger by Orri Tryggvason
62: The New King by LPGPictures
63: M, The Master Thief by funmiproductions
64: Raiders of the Hawaiian Box by TheDylandProductions
65: Space Militia: Designation Checkmate by LJ1138
66: The grand unveiling of the memorial by Jacobwol
67: no title by cwstudios
68: NO CRAWME BROKE OUT!!! by CarrollFilms
69: The incredibly awkwardly titled film that became mixed up zombies or how i stopped trying by ghostofmrsdaystudios
70: Lockton by nltwm
71: TXENT by Brickstudio 1
72: kleines klötzchen kino by prisac

Plus two that were removed from YouTube and were therefore unjudgeable:
N/A: Star Wars to Slenderman by Brickarms123
N/A: The Package by swiftysean1101

Spreadsheet version (incl. breakdown of top 20 scores)
________________________________________________________

A big thank you to my fellow judges, Cheshire and BertL, without whom these results would not be here before you.

Another successful THAC - here's to many more! The only question left now is... should the next one be THAC 11, or THAC XI?

See you then!