Forever and Always
2023 · 4m
Directed by Izabella Anguiano Jacobs
Genres: animation, coming-of-age, family
Tones: contemplative, tender, whimsical
A little girl goes around town collecting gifts for her Abuelita. The little girl cherishes all the memories and stories they share together.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
It's competent grandmother-granddaughter nostalgia, the kind of thing that plays well at family festivals and makes everyone nod approvingly—which is exactly why it doesn't interest me. I'd rather watch something that breaks the mold than another tender memory-box animation.
Anguiano Jacobs demonstrates clear control of her medium and a genuine emotional architecture, situating this work squarely in the lineage of intimate, character-driven animation that values restraint and observational detail over spectacle.
The real magic here is the sound design—the way ambient street noise and Abuelita's voice create intimacy in a 4-minute runtime where every second has to earn its keep, and that choice alone transforms what could've been saccharine into something genuinely moving.