© ROBOT

12th Animation Division Grand Prize

The House of Small Cubes

Animated short film

KATO Kunio [Japan]

Outline

An old man lives in a room that resembles a pile of stacked up wooden blocks surrounded by water. He drops his pipe in the submerged lower floor. When he dives to pick it up, he encounters memories of his family carved in each room. The precious memories of the people he used to know, including his absent wife and daughter, are depicted with a gentle touch, making this a fine and moving piece of work. The theme of global warming is also hidden just below the surface.