Animation for environment

Animation has revolutionised the way films are made. More so, this not so old genre of film-making has created a niche for itself among feature film makers and documentary makers alike, however, animated films on environmental issues are hard to find and are almost negligible if we talk about animated documentaries on “Biodiversity”. To provide a much needed platform to showcase such kind of films, CMS VATAVARAN  would be screening six such films. The event is scheduled from December 6-10, 2011 at the Convention Centre, New Delhi. 

For instance “The Last Tiger” depicts the stark reality of incessant hunting of tigers by human beings and this appetite has been held responsible for the extinction of tigers from their natural habitat. The eye catching visuals of the film touches one’s consciousness so much so that we feel shocked at once after watching the hollow truth of our so called modern society. This selfish society is on a killing spree and anyone who would challenge this selfishness would be killed just as the last tiger has been hunted down by the hunter in this film.

On the other hand, “Bunty’s Tree” is a touching and warm story of the bond that exists between a little boy, and a tree. The symbolization of the tree as the mother of the boy is the masterstroke of the film as the lad’s fondness of the tree tries to convey those emotions that trees are after all the soul of our lives. And just the mere thought of a tree less world makes us tremble from head to toe. Therefore trees are to be loved and planted and not to be cut.

Moreover, the “Light of the River” produced in an era of individualism promotes the real and hearty attachment between the members of a rat family. The rat family on a journey to find a safe haven to live is confronted by self-centered sewer rats in a battle for survival just like good human beings are challenged on every path of their lives by the egoistic, arrogant ones. But as the case is ‘the man of character’ tends to find someone who would help him in his endeavor, hence the rats too found the charming animals that came to their rescue.

Taking forward the theme of bonding and brotherhood is “My Home is Green”, a poignant tale of an ant and a caterpillar. One is moved by the beautiful depiction of the ant as the icon of sorrow, the one who has been left alone by the tragic loss of her family in a pesticide mishap, however, the ant comes back to life as the caterpillar, ‘the ray of hope’ enters her life as her friend and a guide.

The fear of a world without trees is further given impetus by “Roads” a story of a little boy, a small toy truck and a garden known as the ‘Patch of Heaven.’ The boy casually destroys the forests for a moment of fun and just to seek pleasure as we human beings are deforesting the land rather knowingly on the pretext of development.

“Shelter” delivers its message loud and clear, i.e., if the trees are there on earth, the human habitat is there, once the trees are destroyed, the human life is in danger of losing itself. And to protect mankind from extinction, humans have to come to terms with their greed and desire to achieve more and more materialistic comfort. The short film portrays this harsh reality commandingly well as the man who seeks shelter under a tree to save him from a heavy downpour keeps on expanding the trunk of the tree for more space leading to the collapse of the tree.