The Tale Of How

Like a beautiful piece of filigree it is the detail that makes this short so beautiful, both in terms of its look and its narrative.

Seagull-like creatures - which, if I heard this correctly are called 'piranhas' for the purposes of this tale (presumably because of their very un-seagull sets of gnashers) - are stranded on a tree which is growing out of an octopus (Otto) in the Indian Ocean.

Otto isn't a gentle piranha-loving sort, however, and takes it upon himself to eat them every time they try to escape to sea. Fortunately, Eddie the mouse may have a solution.

The animation flows constantly, like the ocean, and looks as it might if Terry Gilliam turned his hand to something like the Bagpuss animated sequences or Noggin The Nog. Like many good fairytales it is cute and slightly sinister simultaneously. There is a profusion of motion and the story - though a little too graphic for young children - feels like an Edward Lear nonsense verse or folk tale retold. The Blackheart Gang - a South African based collective - has created a beautifully realised modern myth and, with sleight of hand, made it seem ancient.

Better still, you can watch it, too, on their website.