Lost and Found (Twice!)

Wabi Sabi Studios gives us a very heart-wrenching stop motion animation short "Lost and Found" featuring two knitted animals. The 7-1/2 minutes of cuteness overload is delivered with a strong storyline. The animation uses all kind of camera angles and panning and zooming and spinning to upside-down shots and everything you can think of. 

   

The effort is backed by Screen Australia, a government agency that supports Australian film work. 

Wabi Sabi Studios is made up of a fair-sized cast of creators, led by;

Animation by Samuel Lewis

Written by Bradley Slabe

Directed by Andrew Goldsmith and Bradley Slabe

Production designer Rennie Watson

The credits fail to tell us who knitted the animals.

This story is a twist on the classic hero tale where the hero, (a knitted dinosaur) must sacrifice himself by unraveling to save his knitted love, the toy fox. The little fox tries to thwart his attempt and the tragic events that unfold are underscored by the dramatic background music. Event sounds are well cued to help create a believable world and actions.

I found this film on a YouTube channel called Short of the Week, a great place to find some wonderful animation and other film work.

Not to be confused with, but worth checking out, is another animated film with the same title:

This "Lost and Found" features a boy trying to help a lost penguin find home. It is based on a children’s book by Oliver Jeffers.

Very interesting to see the development between the book and the film! A typical length picture book (32 pages) is, in this instance translated to a 25 minute film. The lovely, but fairly simple drawings from the book are translated into richly detailed 3-D work. Amazing!