Educational Media Reviews Online

In this very short animated film, the main character is a nameless employee performing a meaningless task in a large anonymous company. For his 25th birthday, he receives a necktie and an accordion from his mother. A necktie is worn to work every day while the accordion gathers dust in his closet. As the years go by, the employee comes to recognize the absurdity of his job, rebels and dusts off the accordion, ultimately avoiding a dismal corporate fate.

The film is well done and appealing. The narrative is presented in a realistic animation and individual style that combines three-dimensional puppetry and 2D cut-out figures with traditional pen and ink drawing. Background music is played by the director on the accordion. There is no spoken dialogue; the few lines of text are in both French and English. Pre- and post-production are high quality, with a strong story line and tight editing. Recommended.

Bonus features, available in French or English, include a brief interview with the young filmmaker, who describes his animation, story and acting inspirations as well as the various techniques used to create the film. Also included are numerous trailers for other animated films produced under the umbrella of the National Film Board of Canada.