Opal

I'm not sure what I expected, but I am impressed.

For all the shorts that Adult Swim has produced in recent years, most have honed in on the purely surreal bent that has dominated much of their original content. This holds true for those features that have angled towards comedy, as well as those of a darker thrust. 'Opal' readily joins that company, but with a narrative that is surprisingly straightforward compared to its brethren.

The visuals here are immediately arresting, with a seeming combination of computer animation, claymation, and puppetry. The faces of the characters clearly represent humans, but are sufficiently exaggerated in distinct ways to make them uncannily unsettling. 'Opal' is unquestionably creepy, and the character design is a big part of that, even before they speak and reveal their personalities. Add in the rest of the setting, and there's automatically a sense of tension here.

Shows on Adult Swim have been known to abruptly break into song at times, and 'Opal' embraces that equally odd and whimsical edge, too. The small tunes that litter this short have a bit of a sad, innocent air to them that in context only further boosts the uneasy chill throughout.

And that brings us to the hard-hitting punch, the grim twist that serves as a capstone and makes 'Opal' a contender for Adult Swim's most dark and bleak content. We've seen movies that hinge on similar revelations, perhaps, but that doesn't make it any less potent. I've seen enough of Adult Swim's shorts to know not to hold any particular expectations, and even still I was caught off guard. Bloody well done!

Cartoon Network has a relatively niche audience, Adult Swim even more so, and the shorts they produce are aimed toward the smallest selection of all. 'Opal' is not going to be for everyone, neither because of its visual style, nor its content - but it's startlingly brilliant, in the gloomiest of ways, and well worth checking out.

A really fascinating little flick. Must rewatch at least twice to consume properly. The story subverts expectations and grips you till the last moment. Message is up to interpretation but I have my own idea. A lot of boring works but anyways great short.

Amazing short film. Very rewatchable. The short may seem confusing, but the ending explains it, leaving you satisfied and heartbroken. 10/10.

So glad that Jack Stauber gets to air his creative masterpieces on Adult Swim. I remember when I would record King of the Hill every night just to see if any of Stauber's work would flash through . This is no different, very unique and has you focused and gives you a in depth analysis of each character and what their motives are. I feel blessed go have seen such work.

Wow, just, wow. This short is absolutely beautiful, emotional, and shocking. This is the kind of thing that people will look back on in 20 years and realize how beautiful and perfect it is. One of the most important things in a movie is to be able to watch it, and then want to watch again. There are not very many things that I wanted to rewatch more than Opal. I rewatched it like 4 times after I first saw it, and I wanted even more. I found videos about it, heard other people's opinions, and just wanted to see even more. The amount of details in this you will never be able to watch it enough to catch all of the details in the short. Jack Stauber is a genius, and this just proves it.