I first watched this short film when we attended Manchester Animation Festival back in November. It was, and still is, one of my favourite animated films. The narrative follows nine-year-old Icare, nicknamed ‘Courgette’ by his Mother, who is taken to an orphanage due to his Mother's untimely death. Initially he is consumed by guilt, believing he is responsible for his Mother’s death, and is the subject of bullying at his new home. I think that the mature nature of the narrative was approached expertly, combining wit and honesty with stunning visual appeal. I think we can agree that this charming vulnerability partly came from the fact that the Director, Clause Barras chose non- professional child actors to record the dialogue. They were placed in situations told by the script in a live-action style, allowing raw emotions and responses to be produced amongst the consequent 30 hours of footage.
During the film, I remember being mesmerized by the artistry of the models but left being baffled at how they were made- the heads being so big it seemed as if they were defying gravity for the wiry bodies to hold them up. It was fascinating to learn that the head models were scanned and printed in 3D; and it was these hollow heads that were then made to appear like clay.
Behind the scenes footage of the making of the film
