In 1977 a golden disk of images and information was put onto the Voyager before it was fired towards nothingness – a journey that it continues today and, when I watched this film, it was about 19 billion kilometers from Earth. On that golden disk was an image of a young boy – Larry Wilson, who enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame by virtue of having his face in space. This is his story of his own importance and the journey that he went on while his face went on an interstellar one. I am not sure if this is a totally true story or not but I don't want to find out because I am very happy with Wilson's story as I know it now.
The events are very simple – Wilson loses what is important by trying to find greater significance in himself but ultimately he is insignificant in the grand scheme of things, just as we all are and it is the small things in our own world that makes us important to those within that world, even if the universe could really give a stuff if we existed or not – as individuals or species. Although that sounds rather morbid it isn't and the film doesn't present it that way either. Instead it is all very upbeat with a good narration where the emotional journey is spelt out and delivered in a satisfying and engaging way. What helps this a great deal is that the animated delivery is clever, inventive and energetic. There are a huge amount of styles here, all flowing together. The risk was that it makes it feel like a total student film and doesn't know what it wants to do, but the reality is that it works really well because it has this simple human tale anchoring it while in reverse the animation gives that story freshness and energy.
It is a simple message but it is one well served up and well taken. The delivery from narrator and animator is well fused and I really did enjoy this film as it allowed me to consider how insignificant we all are while also reminding me of where the closest thing to meaning you'll find really comes from.
