Nobody
gets to the Moon alone. Neil Armstrong and the Apollo astronauts would be the first
to give credit to the engineers and mission specialists who made the Moon
landing possible. Luna Chu dreams of following in their historic footsteps. Her
support team consists of her loving father. He is only one man, but his influence
is profound in Andrew Chesworth & Bobby Pontillas’s animated short film, One Small Step, which screens as part of
the 2018 Woodstock Film Festival.
Small Step is the first
release from TAIKO Studios, but it has already made considerable waves in the
animation world—especially for an eight-minute short. Honestly, it is easy to
see why, because it packs an emotionally wallop. The narrative spans at least a
decade, but it also includes charming depictions of young Chu’s imaginary space
flights that have a sweet whimsy reminiscent of Calvin & Hobbes.
There
are some neat visuals in Small Step that
will stir the idealism in viewers who remember when we actually sent astronauts
to the Moon. It is also inspiring to see a humble cobbler like Mr. Chu support
his daughter as she pursues her dream. However, it is a depressing fact the
events of this film probably could not happen in real life today, because an
aspiring astronaut needs a space program to send them out of orbit. Right now,
can launch a satellite, but after decommissioning the last Shuttle, we have no
vessels that can safely take crew into space and back. Currently, if we want to
visit the International Space Station, we have to hitch a ride with the
Russians, which is highly problematic.
Maybe
the release of Chazelle’s First Man will
help wake us up. Yet, everyone who watches Small
Step will find it even more motivating. It vividly captures how the promise
of space exploration still fires up young minds. It is also a well-crafted and an
unusually poignant work of animation. Very highly recommended for animation
fans and anyone going to First Man tonight,
One Small Step screens this Sunday
(10/14) as part of animation block 2 at the Woodstock Film Festival (and it is
also available for online viewing).
