Tiddler thinks he is the plainest fish in his literal school, but the skate teacher obviously looks like a skate fish—so maybe he shouldn’t be so hard on himself. Regardless, Tiddler constantly tries to build himself up by arriving late each morning, breathlessly creating an unlikely adventure to explain his tardiness. Most of his fellow students roll their fish eyes, but his pal Johnny Dory loves his crazy fish stories.
In fact, Dory constantly spreads Tiddler’s stories to other fish, who pass them on in turn to other aquatic creatures. Unbeknownst to Tiddler, his fame has spread quite widely throughout the ocean. That notoriety comes in handy after he narrowly escapes from a commercial fishing boat.
Perhaps you could think of Tiddler as a more compact and economical Finding Nemo. Of course, lost animals are a staple of animated fare. Despite any such similarities, you have to like any film that celebrates both creativity and truancy, right parents?
Parents can rest assured, Tiddler is a likable, low-stress animated short with absolutely no objectionable material. At 22-minutes, it gives young viewers time to really make friends with Tiddler, without taxing their attention spans. Recommended for families and youngsters, Tiddler screens today (3/1) and March 9th and 15th, as part of Shorts for Tots at this year’s NYICFF.
