In this 2012 animated short documentary, five different animators tell five different stories about fathers. The story begins showing five different children in a boat. Each of the children are animated in a different style, but all black and white. Throughout the short each story is told piece by piece, and as each story unfolds you can see each individual child lose more and more faith in their fathers. The five children start out optimistic and loving their fathers, and as they get older they become aware of their fathers flaws. By showing the children in one boat together it calls to the famous saying “we’re in the same boat” meaning that they are all in the same situation more or less with their fathers, and the viewer finds that out as the story progresses.
Using the five different animation styles helps the viewer to easily distinguish each character and story from the next. Throughout the film each individual story switches off in short segments. Due to the editing of the film, using five different animation styles makes things a lot easier to follow in comparison to using the same style which could get confusing after awhile.
Each story is not only different by its animation style, but also voice acting. Each character tells their story through a different voice actor. Though each character has a different voice, told by a different distinct voiced character. Although each character has a separate voice, only one voice is used for the father figure which also unites each story together into one short rather than a collection of five different shorts.
Rather than showing each different story of their father completely literally, each animator shows things rather metaphorically through symbolism, such as showing the father as a wolf, or putting a girl in a suitcase rather than showing a suitcase in her room. If the story were to be told through traditional film it would be a lot harder to show it this way, and would be more confusing. This way of storytelling allows more room for poetic freedom and imagination.
