Earth is inspiring, even in the midst of failure. This is an important lesson I learned after interviewing director Robin Joseph about his stunning animated short, Fox and the Whale, a homemade, hand-drawn cli-fi fable drawing inspiration from the Pacific rainforest belt and debuting, to Oscar acclaim, in a world on fire.
Fox And The Whale‘s Robin Joseph On Making A Personal Film: “The Only Way Is To Become Fully Immersed”
Propelled by curiosity, a lone fox embarks on a journey of self-discovery through a natural utopia. Compelled by the recurring vision of an elusive, mythic whale indicative of a (much) larger world, the fox finds that venturing past the frontiers of the unknown may be the only way to truly know who he is and what he is capable of.
Through that prism, Toronto-based director Robin Joseph’s wordless, wonderful debut, Fox and the Whale, released during our dystopian epoch of exponential global warming, reads like an environmental fable. But the visually stunning 12-minute short’s deliberate ambiguity hides a more personal reading, about a freelance animator with a vision he cannot forget, who is looking to make an impact on an industry that keeps him busy, but distracted from the vision he needs to realize in order to achieve a greater sense of self.
MORE @ CARTOON BREW
Ultimate Expression Of Hope: Interview With The Breadwinner’s Nora Twomey and Saara Chaudry
Animation Is Film Festival Challenged Audiences To ‘Take Their Blinders Off’
Animation Is Film, Said The Festival
Cli-Fi: Director Tomm Moore Speaks On Song of the Sea
75 Years After Its New York Debut, Bambi Remains Underrated
Nuclear Cinema: In This Corner of the World
