A mother goat rescues her kids from the belly of a wolf, but her eldest son Toruku is missing. One day Toruku shows up home and has to confront his own fears as well as the disfigured bodies of his brothers and sisters. As the wolf once again approaches, secrets of Toruku’s absence come to light as the flock fights for survival.

“My Little Goat” is screening at Winter Film Awards International Film Festival 2020

“My Little Goat” is a deceptively morbid stop motion animation. The use of felt work gives an overall soft and innocent aesthetic, but the deformation crafted into the sheep warps the warmth of the material into something frightening and uncomfortable. That is not to say that certain scenes are not stunning and beautiful, but the distortion of a wholesome image associated with baby sheep and soft materials turned horrific leaves the biggest lasting impression. Helping to create the ominous vibe, the actual stop animation is done with great care and flows smoothly. With a process that can sometimes have noticeable bumps, such attention to detail allows the work done to stand out in the time-consuming process of stop animation. Overall, the imagery is consistently engaging, guaranteed to cast a hypnotic spell on the viewer.

Astounding as the animation is within the production, it is the subversive narrative that seeps into the consciousness, revealing a dark and tragic story about a child and a mother dealing with abuse. Toruku’s disappearance is slowly revealed to have much more layers and tragedy then his mangled siblings. This becomes apparent after his initial response to his siblings being that of repulsion, transforms into a deeper fear existing around the knowledge of what he suffered at the hands of the big bad wolf. Ultimately, the narrative plays out close to a fable by using anthropomorphism and allegory to convey a deeper message which, in the vein of Grimm’s fairy tales, could act to both entertain and educate.

“My Little Goat” is a wonderfully twisted tale in both visuals and allegorical story telling. It is hard to heavily discuss the narrative without spoiling the great subtleties utilized by director Tomoki Misato in crafting such a layered and tragic tale. Making it essential viewing, particularly for fans of short and/or animated films.