Coin Operated: A Heartwarming Animated Short About Dreams, Life and Going to the Moon

Always allow your dreams to last you your lifetime.  I guess that’s the message behind this very sweet animated short, written and directed by Nicholas Arioli.  A young boy wants to be an astronaut, as makes sure that he wears his space helmet wherever he goes, just in case he gets the chance to reach his destination – the moon.  Then one day he comes across a coin operated ride which is – of course – a rocket ship.  At five cents a go, it’s a must – so his mum leaves him to it while she goes inside the store to do her shopping.  The ride isn’t quite what he expected – but he figures that is five cents gets him a few bumpy seconds, what would a whole heap of five cents pieces get him?

There are a lot of theories on the YouTube comments below this animated short debating what the story is really about.  The ambiguous ending and the symbolic storytelling have assured that.  Does the old man die at the end? What happened to him mother? And why did he spend his own life selling lemonade?  There are countless interpretations – and I for one like to see this animated short as something of a meditation on the pursuit of dreams – and that even if they take a lifetime to achieve, they are still there for the getting.  Have a watch and see what you think!

Tanked: The Award-Winning Animated Short About Two Lobsters, Love and Karma

Have you ever had a romantic moment interrupted? It can be annoying – and it is certainly the case for the two lobsters in Tanked an award winning animated short by Duncan Rudd.  Their tango in a tank is interrupted by the chef, who has a dinner order to fulfil and a sadistic gleam in his eye.  Well, you know what karma is…

Tanked was something of a passion project for Rudd, who fitted it in around family and work commitments over a period of nine months.  Although this animation is short and sweet, the production values are very high – you feel that you know the lobsters well from almost the outset – and the chef is a great villain.  If you enjoy this, then perhaps try Paul Rudd’s The Ballad of the Pale Blue Dot which we featured on Kuriositas last year.