Length: 05:28
Logline: A little orphan boy pesters strangers in the hope of finding a family.
If you think the video quality's a little on the fuzzy side, it's because this is from way back when in 1997. (think I'd no long left the school) A classic hand made model animation piece, no computer generated nonsense here.
Set design, camera movement, shot composition, sound effects and character animation are all done brilliantly. It's the slightly off-kilter piano music and unsettling subject matter you have to get past first.
Jesse Thomas could voice the lead character but it's hard to tell. A familiar voice turns up in the gravelly tones of Dot from Eastenders' June Brown though. The dialogue, like the plot, is atmospheric, uneasy and is pretty dark in terms of humour. It's hard to see a character or story arc for little Toby. He ends up back where he started having done something which he seems to have gotten a row for previously, so nothing new has really happened to him. The reveal that he is from an orphanage looks like to be the punchline to a bad joke rather than a satisfactory conclusion.
The rule of three is used in terms of Toby's attempts to find a family. The last one, jumping into a strangers car, is a bit disturbing and that kind of sums up my feelings about the whole film. So thumbs up for great model animation, thumbs down for dreary comedy.
Best Bit: The character design.
Worst Bit: Plot goes nowhere.
Final thought: Good but not great.
Read a condensed review of this film on Twitter here.
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