What makes an animation “good”, is
it the style? The animation quality? The voice and musical scores? For me all
of those are important yes, but the number one thing that makes any animation,
play, tv show etc. worth watching is the story, the plot. Everything else, the
music style and voice work, should all be used to support and enhance that
story. It is therefore my pleasure to present “Here’s the Plan” the
ambitious eighteen minute short film by Fernanda Frick. A work I can say that
(to me) is “good”. I will try my best to
summarize without ruining the plot.
The animation follows the marriage
of a newlywed pair of anthropomorphic animals. The story does not follow the
struggles of the days right after marriage but takes place over years of their time
together. The two characters start out with a dream, they love each other and
want to make that dream a reality, but obstacles soon present themselves and their
dream is put to the side. The two characters begin working to provide stability
but what starts as a means an end becomes an end onto itself and their dream
gets further and further away. Can the two of them recover what they once had?
Will they want to? Either way the story captivated me, the sweetness of animating
a healthy relationship was intriguing to say the least. It’s very intimate,
focusing entirely on the couple as they grow from newlyweds full of life and
love, to professionals focused on work and business. The rift that slowly
divides them as their dream they had together gets further out of reach.
Most short films focus on quick
thoughtful stories Frick and her team of over 32 animators were a little more
ambitious. The script for this animation could have just as easily been done as
a live action short film. Nothing about the
art or story is high-concept but I’m glad the animation was done. The
characters are adorable together while the lighting and coloring of each scene
is done brilliantly. The color palette of the film helps to show the change in
the characters priorities as it progresses. It begins colorful, full of light
colors mingled together that help to give off that hopeful and loving feeling
the two characters share. While later the pallete shifts to a professional
monotone of blacks, greys and dark blue to show how business has become a
priority. The lighting is used to great effect throughout the film. When the characters
are happy the mood reflects that with brightly lit scenes. For example, the sun
glaring through the scene to produce a glow in beginning. As the film goes on
the light loses that bright glow and becomes just a soft white light. What I’m
trying to say is that the lighting helps to drive the narrative if only just a
little.
The music throughout the film is
exceptional. It helps to solidify the base of the story, in the beginning it is
hopeful, happy, and uplifting. When they first begin working it is slow and
methodical and helps to show how they are slowly drifting away from that
precious idea that original goal. The music gets slower with each passing scene
building a sense of tension and unease. Many who have viewed the film stopped
half way through when I spoke with them they admitted they thought the story
was going to end incredibly sad. One key factor was the musical score helping
to build up that sense of tension and unease and has the story went on sadness.
Music is a key part of all films, it can make or break a film if you place the
right/wrong music in a scene. The only complaint that can be said about the
film, is that the music can sometimes over power the dialogue, that’s not to
say it’s bad, but it is hard to hear the characters at certain points. Speaking
of voice work, Frick and here team are Chilean but had the film dubbed in English
to reach a larger audience. The voice work is over all decent, but it some
places falls flat. Certain scenes seem to have more emotional acting while others
just seem kind of plain. I personally have no problems with it, like I stated
earlier to me the story is the most important aspect. The voice work is only
there to support it, so I can disregard a few technical issues.
Overall “Here’s the Plan”
touched my heart and I was left pondering my own relationships and goals in
life. The lovely art style delivered with it a touching tale of love and hope
that will leave audiences reevaluating their own lives as well. Are there
dreams that you placed on hold? How far would you go to get back on track? Can
you? I believe everyone can live their dream, you just have to work for it. I
have some advice to help get you started, are you ready? OK then,
Here’s the Plan…
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