Chesapeake Film Festival Presents NIGHT LIGHTS, LOST CAT, and THE BIRD AND THE WHALE – Animated shorts

This short 3 minute animated film has no narration. Instead, we hear upbeat music and the occasional gasp or small noises. The art is simple and bright. While the storyline is minimal, Night Lights is an enjoyable animated short reminiscent of many people’s childhood playing outside and catching fireflies on summer nights.

LOST CAT at Chesapeake Film Festival

A young girl named Nina chases her black cat who escaped in Lost Cat. With no narration—other than a couple of yelps, gasps, and a chorus of “Hey Nina!” at one point—we are able to focus more on the animation. The director has fun with colors, shapes, and patterns as Nina chases her cat around the neighborhood.

In four minutes,  Lost Cat also addresses the deeper issue of anxiety.  Unlike Nina, the other characters are blobs with arms and legs. At one point, she stumbles upon a party where she confronts her anxiety and goes in to follow her cat. With the lack of narration, it’s the music that displays Nina’s emotions. Only when Nina is the most relaxed does the music stop and become replaced with sounds of crickets chirping in the night.

THE BIRD AND THE WHALE at Chesapeake Film Festival

As The Bird and The Whale begins, we are greeted with a shipwreck set against a blue and purple sky with brushstrokes of clouds. All we see is a single yellow bird floating in a cage. We are then taken underwater and see a lost whale. We cannot hear the whales speak or the birds tweet, but the music makes up for this as it changes frequently to match the emotions of the two. When the whale sees the shipwrecked items flowing down, the music picks up as the whale is amazed by everything. We get to see a unique combination of sea life with man-made items.

The Bird and the Whale is hand-painted. In the animation, the brushstrokes add to the movement of the film—like when the whale comes out of the water or the crashing of the waves.  You too may think it feels like a painting come to life for seven minutes. Don’t forget to stay and watch the end of the credits because the painting process is shown!