I can honestly say that I had low expectations for this film. The story is introduced with members of the public littering the street, which left me with the assumption that this would be another typical 'save the environment' campaign video. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of a large, street-sweeping elephant.
Although the character does not speak throughout, I found myself quickly gaining a small attachment to the elephant as I joined him on his journey throughout the day - especially because of his many small quirks. One moment in particular that stuck with me is when he eats his bunches of bananas - popping them open one by one with his trunk. Another was when he produced rain after drinking water, showering down on people walking by with umbrellas.
The animation style consists of multiple hand-painted shapes which were then combined to create objects. The animation itself was very fluent - particularly in the trunk which flowed with natural arcs. The environments were not always realistic (as can be seen by the slanted houses in the image above) but it compliment's the film's child-targeted storyline well. I also found the sound to be an effective element of the film - creating a bigger impact for the character's movements. For example, when he sweeps the street is accompanied by a sharp brushing sound.
As the story continues, we watch the elephant grow excited at the thought of buying the bicycle - working hard each day to save his small wage towards the £9999 price tag. There was one shot in particular which truly emphasised how hard he was working, where the animator overlapped multiple images of the elephant sweeping in different streets simultaneously.
It is almost heartbreaking to watch when he finally comes to buy the bike, realising just how tiny it is. The elephant then retracts himself from society - hiding away in his house for a long period of time. Equally upsetting is the realisation that the people who live around him do not care that he is upset or gone - only noticing his disappearance as the trash builds up to the point of inconvenience.
Upon realising that avoiding his duties effects others, he quickly grabs a sack and begins to clean the streets once again - also discarding the beloved bike. However, the tone of the film quickly changes when he meets a young girl doodling a bicycle into the side of the pavement using chalk. He performs the heartwarming act of giving the bicycle to the girl who desires one. The film is topped off when the small girl runs to hug the gigantic creature and befriends him.
The simplistic animation and lack of dialogue compliment each other well for an entertaining and easy-to-follow narrative for an audience of any language. The heartwarming story remained engaging throughout, triggering both sadness and happiness whilst appealing to its young target audience successfully. The Elephant and the Bicycle quickly exceeded all expectations and was a worth winner of the Bradford Animation Festival Award 2014.
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