Scavengers

Stranded on a strange planet, two surviving crew members of a starship perform a series of bizarre rituals using alien flora and fauna in order to achieve... something.

That's how I describe this outrageously creative short that gets crazier and crazier with each new scene.

The animation is as majestic as any Hayao Miyazaki film while the visual craziness is reminiscent of Fantastic Planet but on a whole new level of unprecedented imagination.

Watch it, re-watch it and watch it again and you will then surely agree that this has to be one of the best if not the best short movies you have ever seen.

It blew my mind.

Scavengers is another weird wondrous short film by the talented duo Bennett & Huettner. It has their trademark visuals, a 1970s-ish colorful 2D animation and themes.

The film is wonderfully creative and odd; odd as in different, intriguing, and unusual. It has oneiric elements, psychedelic elements, surreal elements, and a visual exploration of the subconscious, all whisked up and organically fluffed to create a world that it is visually yummy but also meaningfully nourishing.

The main thing happening in the film is the exploration of the two human characters on the mysterious wild planet on which they are stranded. They collect, experiment and, most importantly, interact with the natural surroundings they find. We are shown that everything on this planet is made of the same substance, is utterly interconnected and, eventually, the two characters will also be part of this wonderful world.

The film is partly oneiric. If you have a detailed dream life, as I do, perhaps oneiric is not the word, as dreams can be quite realistic and non-fantasy. But oneiric as in the way the subconscious constructs dreams mixing symbolic elements in weird but organic ways that feel real and natural.

Probably this short film is more psychedelic than oneiric, but not especially trippy.

Bennett is interested in the Collective Unconscious, and I felt that this is especially clear towards the end of the film. This sort of exploration is really personal, depending on the artist, or on the person who munches about the CU. Personally, I see it as a repository of human knowledge, symbols, culture and ways of being that is embedded in the Universe, which is one. In that sense, Scavengers is more Carl Sagan than Carl Jung.

Carl Sagan once said "The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself." And also, "The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of star stuff." and I think these quotes fit perfectly the exploration that the directors carry out in this film.

This is an enjoyable fascinating odd film. If you are interested in more than mainstream cute animated stories, you'll probably love it.

Scavengers focuses on two stranded scientists on the planet Vesta Minor, exploiting it's indigenous life for a variety of ends.

Biologically, the alien life doesn't make a lot of sense, being more like organic appliances. So if you're aiming for speculative evolution, don't bother. But if you're down for this amazing 2D animation and surreal spectacle, this is more than enough for you. It's honestly like watching people fixing a puzzle.

The story stars what are clearly predecessors for Scavengers Reign's Sam and Ursula. Due to the short being silent they have comparatively little personality, but the reveal at the end makes their actions understandable.

Overall a feast for the eyes.