Leave it to the Dutch to…be Dutch.

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Personally, a child’s imagination is one of the most important and fantastic things that can be encouraged to develop and explode in a miasma of creation and exploration. Capitalization on this imagination is also the next logical step, because money. Now you Know it Anyway (or Nu Ken Je Het Toch Al because it’s Dutch), directed by Bastiaan Schravendeel of Polder Animation creates a beautiful story about stories, and shows that imagination sells well.

First, this animation just looks simply beautiful. From the design of the little girl, to the emotive little baby, to the imaginary animals the girl has woven from her own mind, everything in this short just pops with color and character. Not to mention the cell shaded detail that really makes this stand out, being part cartooney, but grounded in enough realism so that it doesn’t completely take the viewer away.
I know generally there is a lot of darker sci-fi on this, and these last two entries have been a bit cutesy. Well shut up. Sometimes I like cutesy. Plus, these shorts are incredibly well done, so as a piece of cinematic art form, they will be appreciated. AND BY GOD YOU WILL APPRECIATE THEM. Sorry, I just felt this needed to be touched upon.
What’s great about the story this weaves is that we the viewer get to see inside the mind of the little girl, and get to see her story as she reads it. It’s just an interesting way to picture the imaginative process of picturing a spoken story while the story itself is interacting with the characters on screen.
But the question is, at least for me, why would her business plan be to read off her story to random passerby’s and not even try to fleece the rubes for some cash? What I think she should do in the future is give her book names the names of more popular books (Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, Fifty Shades of Gross) and then pass them of as the legitimate thing. And then profit. Now, I’m not condoning counterfeiting, but she should totally counterfeit some books to make some spare cash. Just saying.
A beautiful short by Bastiaan Schravendeel, whom I very much hope will be making more work in the future.

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