Short One: "Kanini & Kanino"
"Kanini & Kanino" surrounds the tale of two crab siblings whose life of living underwater becomes drastically different when their pregnant mother goes to the surface to give birth, leaving only their father to protect them from the dangers of the river. One night, one of the siblings attempts to travel to the surface, only for something dramatic to occur, ultimately leaving the two siblings to fend for themselves in the vast river environment. I can't really say much about the short. I enjoyed the visuals way more than the characters or the plot, with its fantastic blend of 2D animation with splashes of CGI for the river environment that is eye-catchingly beautiful to say the least (despite the CGI fish, but whatever). I'm not really invested in Kanini or Kanino, as forgettable as they are, and the fact that the short doesn't have any dialog hurts their dynamics as a whole. For the story and characters to be lacking in depth, the visual did make up for it to be considered for an enjoyable one-time watch.
Short Two: "Life Ain't Gonna Lose"
"Life Ain't Gonna Lose" is about the relationship between a mother and her son, Shun, who has a severe egg allergy that in-contact, could cause a life-threatening case in which Shun only has minutes to live. The short is based off a true story (claimed by the director) and it does a pretty good job keeping me interested in the characters and how they deal with Shun's condition. The mother is overly protected of Shun and tries her hardest to protect him from any harm, just to amend for all the times that she isn't there for him. Shun himself quickly learns to stay strong and formidable despite his unfortunate state and is eager to overcome any obstacles in his life to prove that he isn't frail and weak. The characters in this short are way more realistic and the hand-drawn artstyle complements it by having a sort of nostalgic feel, reminiscent of a children's storybook. The animation is fluid and the movements are more expressive that doesn't distract you from the overall atmosphere of the short. The intriguing aesthetic and the lovable character makes this short exceedingly enjoyable for anybody to enjoy, and this, along with the next short, produces a well crafted compilation if it weren't for the first short.
Short Three: "Invisible"
"Invisible" contains an interesting and ingenious concept that is explored in a very creative way. The short follows an invisible man, whom others cannot see. The man is required to carry a heavy object since he could easily be carried by a gust of wind without it. The short basically surrounds a day of his life, in which he ponders about his identity in life and his struggle of loneliness. What makes the short especially unique is through several brilliant action-packed moments that is exemplified by the gripping animation and the spectacular choreographer of the whole segment. Aesthetically, the short is bleak and almost depressing with its dimmed colors and almost dreary tone that sets it apart from the bright and colorful visuals of the previous two shorts. The Invisible-Man himself carries a dispirited mood that I can't help but feel sympathetic for. These design choices overall make the conclusion of the short extremely satisfying and makes the whole experience well-worth the watch.
So what can I say? Studio Ponac did a fine job producing these shorts and I highly recommend this to those who are fans of their previous film. Creatively impressive and tremendously entertaining, "Modest Heroes" is huge step for Studio Ponac to work with other directors and their consistency in quality has me anxiously waiting for their next project.
