Tabisuru Nuigurumi: Traveling Daru

A beautiful, calming short that is well worth watching! Story - 7 It's obviously not got a filled out story, only being 10 minutes long, but that was enough time too draw you into what story there was. The pace was quick but not rushed and that was enabled by the soundtrack which sped it along in the initial stages. My attention didn't waver once because immediately I was interested in the journeys of a tiny, little stuffed toy (presumably made by the young girl) and where it was going. There is no dialogue (apart from 2 sentences at the end in English) but this inno way hinders the story, it makes your senses become more acutely aware of the sounds going on in the background and various images in each scene. There was also a lot of symbolism used in the centre and in the backgrounds, for example. the butterfly spreading it's wings after being trapt in the coccoon, it foretold of the final journey to be had by the stuffed toy. The ending was a mixture of both happy and sad, it was the ending you would expect and also not in some ways I think. The last scene after the credits really brought a smile to my face. Art - 9 It had the most spectacular sky scenes, I almost gasped during one of the scenes. The character designs are relatively simple and the main girl looks very ordinary. Careful precision has been made with many of the scenes, such as the reflection in the window as the girl touches the glass, the wind through the scarecrows hair and waterdroplets on the ground. I think it's the precision that adds a new dimension to the TN:TD. Sound - 9 It starts with a fast-paced 50's style trumpet tune that allows the story to move through time very quickly. It then slows to a peaceful guitar and piano song, the standstill of time when both the stuffed toy and the girl are in deep contemplation and a sense of loneliness comes through the music. Then the music stops for the sound of the waterdroplet, it is after this that piano music emerges which then changes to violins/cellos that make you feel uplifted and hopeful. The music is extremely effective, it substitutes the lack of dialogue perfectly. You could shut your eyes and almost follow the story from the music alone. Character - 6 Not much to say on character as it is so short and there is no dialogue till right at the end. We come to understand that the stuffed toy has never stopped wanting to reach the girl throughout the story. The girl is shown in the beginning to be devastated to loose her toy and then as the story moves on and she grows up we come to understand that she has become a fashion designer. She seems to be finding inspiration difficult and she is frustrated, you see that she also still thinks about the stuffed toy she lost many years before. At the end you see that she has never forgotten about this stuffed toy even though her life has moved on such a long way. Enjoyment - 9 Really surprised by how much I have enjoyed this short, I came out feeling good and optimistic. It really reinforces the value of determination. I was happy at the end but also managed to feel really sad in the middle and the end as well, for something with little time to make me feel, lonely, sad and happy must be good. Overall - 8 Definitely worth the little time it takes, it took me by surprise and maybe it will you too. It may seem like a childish tale of a stuffed toy that walks and journeys but actually I felt it could be shown to all ages. Everything about this short wasn't lacklustre or lazy, it was done precision and careful planning, there were tiny details and clever symbolism that scattered the backgrounds and made it eye catching and interesting.