"Boy and the World" (Portuguese: O Menino e o Mundo)
A 2013 Brazilian animated film written and directed by Alê Abreu. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 88th Academy Awards.
It won both the top prize (Crystal Award) and the Audience Award at the 2014 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
(Partially excerpted from Wikipedia)
I was honestly surprised that it was nominated for the 88th Academy Awards but didn't win. In my opinion, this film is a masterpiece comparable to Hayao Miyazaki's "The Boy and the Heron", or even "Spirited Away." In terms of visual artistry, it’s even more impressive than those. I haven't seen the winning piece so I can't say anything more, but it seems that it was Disney x Pixar. Another thing I can say is that "A Boy and the World" may not have been chosen because, although it's not its main theme, it contains anti-capitalist and anti-establishment content. In short, it's a work that is more artistic than commercial. Although it narrowly missed out on the award, the release of this work undoubtedly gave a huge boost to the momentum of animation production in Brazil. In any case, this animation can certainly be enjoyed by children, but it's not explicitly aimed at children. Rather, in a sense, it has a strong appeal to adults, to the point of almost bringing them to tears.
First of all, the main character is adorable. He’s a boy about elementary school age, drawn as a stick figure. His face is simple too—just a circle with a little dot, like a doodle. And yet, he’s so lively and cute!
The boy lives with his parents in a small house in a village rich in nature. Although the family is poor, the boy leads a happy life, loved by his father and mother. Scenes of family togetherness and joyful outdoor play with birds and insects are delicately drawn using crayons and colored pencils. Everything is extremely stylized, yet it is colorful and breathtakingly beautiful. What's even more amazing about this anime is that there's no dialogue throughout the entire work. There are sounds that resemble people speaking, used as sound effects. However, they do not form actual words. They simply sound vaguely like human conversation. And yet, watching it feels completely natural. In this work, this approach might actually make the whole story easier to understand. The stick-figure boy’s psychological state is clearly conveyed—even without facial expressions or dialogue—through changes in the way the world he experiences is depicted, such as the background art and the music.
The family has been living happily, but when financial difficulties arises, the father leaves home to find work far away. The farewell scene is heartbreaking. The boy stays with his mother for a while, but no matter how long he waits, his father doesn't return. Finally, he makes up his mind and set out on a journey alone to look for his father. You might think it's strange for a child around elementary school age to go on such a journey, but if you watch until the end, you'll realize that this is a technique rooted in magical realism—a hallmark of South American literature.
The boy is helped by an old man he meets on the way, and as he continues his journey—helping out with farm work along the way—he gradually learns about the ways of the world. He also meets a poor young man and works on the farm with him. The young man lives in a small apartment in the city. Upon arriving in the city, the scenery changes completely. The enchanting landscapes vanish, and amidst the gloomy, industrial streetscape, the boy sees glittering, commercialized goods and people driven by desire. The vibrant nature and bright skies are replaced by an oppressive landscape, where both people and objects move mechanically. The cotton picked by the boys is processed in factories into expensive goods that are beyond their reach.
Like the boy’s father, the young man works as a low-wage laborer on a large plantation, but he is a leader among the workers and becomes embroiled in some kind of labor dispute. The boy, feeling as though he had seen his father on the plantation, follows him, only to find the plantation filled with countless men in the same circumstances as his father, all looking alike. The boy’s shock at this moment strikes a chord with the viewer as well. This is no longer just the story of a “boy.” It is the story of our “world.”
Brazil apparently experienced a military regime in the 1960s, and that is depicted here as well. Rapid industrialization, economic turmoil, oppressive politics and environmental destruction wash over the boy like waves, leaving him adrift. Yet, from the depths of despair, a quiet yet powerful, uplifting song resonates. It is the song of the people who have risen from poverty. And there, among them, was the face of that young man. Although this animation has no dialogue, the sound effects and music are superb. I watched the making-of footage as well; the recording took place in a small studio that looked like an ordinary room, with the entire staff gathered together. Everyone involved seemed to be enjoying themselves, their eyes sparkling, and I felt that this was well reflected in the work. Political repression in South America is no joke, but this work conveys the resilient spirit of a people who have endured it throughout history, making it a truly powerful piece.
The ending consists of a recollection by an elderly man who has returned to his dilapidated home, depicting a scene where the now-grown boy bids farewell to his mother and sets off on his journey. What I find truly masterful is how the use of stick-figure characters and animation achieves maximum impact; the raw reality seen through the eyes of a young boy in the story is cleverly designed to suddenly expand into broader themes like “society” and “life” that extend beyond the personal. Overall, while delving into dark themes like inequality and political oppression, it remains a bright and empowering work, and the attention to detail is simply outstanding. I consider it a masterpiece that conveys the creator’s love for life and the world.