With a few simple, hand-drawn lines in his trademark charcoal and pastel, acclaimed animator Naoyuki Tsuji creates a distinctive universe that is at once tender and horrible. Included are all the elements of a fractured fairy tale for adults: clouds come alive in the sky; an escape becomes a terrifying journey; characters transform into animals; a man with a deranged face terrorizes his family and devours his children. What first appears to be childlike crudeness in his animation is actually subtle, strange, and even uncanny. Tsuji’s films captivate us because they are vague recollections of beguiling childhood dreams and memories—the wonder of the puppet show, the mystery of clouds, or the attraction of monsters.
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