Man’s internal and external worlds come to both a literal and metaphorical clash in this Spanish short that combines live action and animation. A cartoon character that lives amongst humans feels out of place and takes himself to therapy in order to analyze how much of his individuality he should compromise in order to fit in.
In Desanimado, filmmaker Emilio Martí Lopez cleverly and quickly unwraps the inner monologues of anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. Lopez’s human cartoon talks himself in and out of self-pity, self-deprecation, and self-importance, to name a few “selfs.” Ultimately his existential line of thinking leads him to blissfully conclude that we are all insignificant. Basically all that shit you’re worried about right now (Did that lady on the subway read your sexts this morning? Did you sound like a douche at dinner last night? Did you put on deodorant?), it don’t matter.
Lopez uses animation – often perceived as children’s entertainment – to explore core LGBT issues and address a lack of representation within the medium. Desanimado gives the form powerful significance by exploring themes that go beyond fairy tale morals and land more in the realm of metaphysics. Take a look.