Wake Up Call

As I understand it, this animated short film was created for the Gaia Foundation to raise awareness about mining and extractive industries. It humorously illustrates how the technology we buy becomes outdated so quickly, trapping us in a cycle of constantly needing to upgrade. This, in turn, leads to waste, pollution, and unsustainable business practices.

The animation opens with an intriguing blend of hyper-realistic visuals and Steve Cutts' signature simplified style, gradually transitioning more toward the latter. The message is clear and impactful.

At one point, I was a bit concerned by what looked like a happy ending-something quite unusual in Cutts' work. I wondered if it was due to the influence of the film's client. But thankfully, he stayed true to his voice, delivering a resolution in line with his usual tone.

We are first introduced in this short film to the production of cell phones, using various pollutants and minerals. A man is thrilled when he buys the newest version of that phone, but as time passes, the phone is replaced time after time by new models and the man gives his life over to his ambition to get the newest device. Soon we are experiencing a kind of madness.

A company keeps launching of it's product namely Y-Phone (A name that fittingly rhymes with i Phone). A man keeps buying it again and again until he realises the danger of it. He starts going out with friends, but then a new company launched a product, this time crane, and everyone starts digging(or maybe I am missing the point). Doesn't interest me much.

It mainly about the mob mentality. Can it give it a 'pass' but not a complete failure either.