“In a cloudy forest, a hat that people fight for appeared in front of the protagonist, and then magical things kept happening…” acts as the official synopsis for Du Yen-Ting's short film “Mysterious Hat”. The short film explores greed brought on by summoning a creature whose appetite for destruction transforms into riches.
“Mysterious Hat” is Screening at Cartoons Underground
A short parable about the near-sightedness that can come with greed, culminating in the destroying of one own's safety in a cycle of never ending desire. To this degree the short film conveys its message effectively, as the ‘mysterious hat' and the beast within switches hands among men. This also reflects a never ending cycle as each new owner feeds the hungry lion that plays on the selfish desire to obtain status. Undeniably, the short film speaks to the nefarious means people will sink too in order to get even a small slice of the pie.
Accompanying the narrative is a somewhat unorthodox style of animation, working in unfamiliar forms to traditional stylings. Consequently, the aesthetic won't appeal to a wide audience and those unfamiliar with alternative animation will see the style as overly simplistic. However, there is a lot of detail to enjoy in the film for the attentive viewer. This is particularly noticeable in the painted textures that wonderfully frame the character's movements. Ultimately, the animation presents a challenge that the viewer will have to overcome to enjoy the short.
A truly effective use of narrative and style to tell a short concise tale about the perils of greed, “Mysterious Hat” is a well executed animated short worth checking out.
