In a world awash in technological overload and geopolitical unrest, the non-Japanese animated films at this year¡¯s Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), which ran from Oct. 28 through Nov. 6, presented an alternative vision ¡ª focusing on, or including, the connections between humans, robots and nature.
While Japanese works were still prominent in TIFF¡¯s animation selection, the entries from abroad underscored a return to fables and, in a variety of ways, served as meditative critiques on our current shared reality. They also pointed to a collective desire for simplicity and mutual care in an increasingly tech-distorted world.
Through tales of survival, transformation and companionship, films like ¡°Memoir of a Snail,¡± ¡°Flow,¡± ¡°The Wild Robot,¡± ¡°Gill,¡± and ¡°Olivia & the Clouds¡± reflect a pull for both animators and their audiences toward rekindling the timeless wisdom from the realm of flora and fauna ¡ª suggesting a renewed reverence for the organic existence with its beauty and mystery.
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