Meow or Never
2020 · 10m · UK
Directed by Neeraja Raj
Genres: animation, comedy, fantasy, musical, sci-fi
Tones: absurdist, tender, whimsical
A pink feline catstronaut named Pucha searches the cosmos for the meaning of life aboard her AI spaceship, until a crash-landing dog named Blip strands them both on an alien planet — where marshmallow tribes and psychedelic fields lead Pucha to discover that friendship is the answer she sought.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Pink catstronaut, paper sets, marshmallow tribes, existentialism-resolves-to-friendship musical. Aggressively whimsical in a way that makes my teeth hurt.
Stop-motion fabric puppets, hand-built paper sets, a catstronaut musical — Raj reframes existentialism as platonic friendship with genuine craft, in the whimsical-philosophical territory of Don Hertzfeldt's softer registers. A small delight.
Stop-motion musical with fabric puppets and hand-built all-paper sets plus an inserted 2D hand-drawn sequence — existentialism as warm friendship celebration is a tonally specific genre alloy, and the multi-material craft mix gives it a tactile sandbox feel. Vocal cast Sheila Atim helps.
Reviews
It's a short that wraps you in its warm embrace and refuses to let go. Its message is strong, but its spirit is stronger.
The short initially appears to target children, yet quickly transforms into an introspective musical exploring themes of existentialism.
Festivals
- Young Director Award 2021, Winner
- Women in Animation Showcase 2020, Best Film
- Digicon6 Asia 2020, Silver Award for Best Technique
- BAFTA Student Film Awards 2021