The Magic of Anansi

Usually I don't love splashy colors and hyper-stylized animation, but this little film from Jamie Mason really caught my eye. What also got my attention was the lovely story and the way it was executed--it was really nice.

The story feels like an African folk tale and that's what I assume it was. It all begins long, long, long ago when the creatures were first created. Anansi the spider wasn't respected by anyone and its webs were pretty lousy. So, in a desperate attempt to curry favor from the animals, Anansi decided he was going to impress the tiger--the most impressive creature of them all. Then, he reasoned, all the other critters MUST also respect him. He comes up with a smart plan to do this but in the end he discovers that the price he has to pay for respect is too great.

The story was obviously intended for younger audiences, but I also enjoyed it quite a bit. The great music, lovely narration and animation all worked together to make a nice little film with a great moral for kids.