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Animation Short Review: Floral Friends: Jorro and the Floral Phone (2018) by Shioda Marie

Film posters can be a good indication of what a film is about and in the case of “” that most certainly is true. For this animated student film by , the poster evokes the image of a very gentle and endearing film about staying connected with your friends, even when they are far away. And being beautifully crafted, it is no surprise that “: Jorro and the Floral Phone” won a number of prizes such as the Encouraging Prize The 12th TOHO Cinemas Student Film Festival 2018 (Japan) and the Wacom Intuos Pro Award 2019 (Japan). 

Floral Friends: Jorro and the Floral Phone” is screening at Winter Film Awards International Film Festival

“Floral Friends: Jorro and the Floral Phone” tells the story of two watering cans: Jorro, a black can and its best friend, a white can. When his friend decides to move to a faraway city, that makes Jorro really sad. To stay in touch, his friend gives him a floral phone. This is like a string phone, but with flowers for the cups and a vine instead of the string. However, as anyone who made a such a toy phone knows, communicating through these is hard. Although Jorro and his friend struggle, in the end their friendship prevails.

The story of “Floral Friends: Jorro and the Floral Phone” might not be a groundbreaking one, but at the same time it taps into universal feelings of keeping friendships alive and how hard that can be. That, combined with the production design makes it suitable for a wide audience of both children and adults. 

What really lifts this student film to a higher level is the quality of the animation. “Floral Friends: Jorro and the Floral Phone” is a stop-motion film, but the materials used are not common. Most props are made from delicate paper. The main characters look like they are made from a sturdier material, with their textures recalling old fashioned metal watering cans. But they, as well, have a fragile appearance with long arms and legs made from thin metal wires. This is in line with their personalities: they are gentle creatures and the pasture that they are living in is a tranquil and peaceful place. Next to stop-motion, 2D animation is added to convey thoughts and some special effects like when the watering of plants, an elegant solution for the combination of water and paper. The design uses mostly pastel colors and a limited number of props and decors. This runs the risk of presenting the viewer with a sugar-coated world, but the black design of Jorro prevents this.

The acting of the characters is subtle. Shioda Marie understands the power of the simple gesture. Emotions are conveyed mostly by posture and movement and sometimes underlined with music and sound effects. There is both room for the viewer to contemplate the emotions of the characters and to think of his own experiences.

“Floral Friends: Jorro and the Floral Phone” is a promising student film, and Shioda Marie awaits a bright future as a stop motion animator. Even if the story is not very original it touches on a subject that appeals to a large audience.


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