The Lost Thing is a 2010 Oscar-winning short film that garnered accolades for its touching and important story. And it deserved it as it really is a special little film.
It is about a young man who one day finds a strange creature on the beach. After learning that it does not belong anywhere and is lost, he searches for a place to put it in and eventually finds a place where all lost things live and leaves it there. It is such a unique story. And I like that the ending is so satisfying, touching but never too emotional which is great. And it is a relevant and sophisticated look into people and creatures that do not fit in and are different and it gives us a message that we should help those who are different and not leave them behind. It is a great story that is beautifully explored and so sweet.
I like the characters. Both the protagonist and the creature are so well realized. The creature is so sweet and you root for it throughout the whole flick while the central character is also really sympathetic and also realistic both in his looks and behavior.
The animation is my only problem with this film. It is certainly good, but never rising above that level and it is never particularly memorable which is a shame as the rest of the movie is anything but. However, the character design is simply terrific and so grounded. The main character has a realistic look to him and he looks for once like a regular guy. And the creature is so fascinating with the mix of a machine and animal-like qualities. It is a machine but also a crab and an octopus. And the rest of the lost things are also wonderfully depicted.
It has such a wonderful world-building, but unlike ‘Mr. Hublot‘, it is better explored and overall much more entertaining and memorable. And also hard-hitting. And I like the narration as well which is also a great accomplishment as that is hard to do well in short form. It received an Oscar and while Pixar’s ‘Day & Night‘ deserved the award as it is a much better film, I am still okay with their decision as The Lost Thing is also superb. 2010 was a very strong year for both short and feature animation.
The Lost Thing has not so memorable animation, but it has a wonderful and meaningful story, excellent world-building, amazing characters and terrific character design. It is a touching but also very important and imaginative film that leaves a very strong impression.
The Lost Thing
