Careful

A young girl goes out on her own to post a letter for her mother. However the degree of trust the mother has in her only extends to her child and not the wider world, so she uses a remote control device to ensure her girl stays away from any possible dangers. When the remote control device breaks though, the girl is swept away from her mother's gaze and control, exposing her to the real world for the first time.

With all sorts of dangers out there and all sort of tabloid headlines just waiting to be written in big scary letters it is easy to forget that the world is not significantly different from the one that we grew up in and that dangers to children have always existed. Despite a few knocks and near misses, the majority of us learn our way and make it to be adults. With modern children it does appear that we try to shield and protect too much and that is the idea that the film has here – with the mother literally looking after the daughter. When the remote dies, you can see neither knows what to do but the girl quickly starts to just work out things for herself. The film doesn't dent the dangers but shows the child being aware of them and able to get by herself.

Of course in some ways this is too simplistic but the idea is sound and certainly the over-protective parent and the able child is not an exaggeration and the point is well made. The animation is basic in appearance but impressive and works well. Overall a simple and effective short film that is interesting and looks good. Worth a look as part of 2005's crop of short films from "animate!".