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.

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

It's very dark and very beautiful at the same time. It truly made me feel conflicted in a way I can't full describe. The claymation is very well done and you can tell that a lot of love and probably a lot of sadness was put into this project.

I just got HBO Max and discovered that they have a bunch of Adult Swim programs, which I haven't had the joy of watching for close to a decade. I came across Jack Stauber's Opal, and it is a true gem! The Claymation, music, and overall ambiance makes this one of the creepiest, yet most beautiful shorts I have ever seen! Whenever I watch a film with stop motion animation or any other type of unusual media, I assess its effectiveness according to how well it does at tricking my brain into thinking I am growing delirious from fever (This goes back to the stuff I would watch as a sickly child). Wallace and Gromit, Gumby, The Year Without a Santa Claus, and Fraggle Rock all give me this delirious, yet comforting, feeling. Opal is the first film I have seen in the last decade that has given me such an eerie and nostalgic feeling. It is as if Gumby and his friends ate an entire sheet of acid, and we get to ride along to witness their experience. This film is truly an amazing work of art.

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.