Boom

On a small, rocky island, somewhere in the middle of the ocean, a colony of birds has assembled. it’s the laying season, though most have yet to produce any eggs. One proud couple have four eggs, large and shiny and, one suspects, ready to hatch at any moment. When the island starts to shake, however, they find themselves in trouble. Black smoke is emerging from the funnel-like structure at its centre. The other birds rush to the clifftop and hurl themselves into the sea, where they wait, honking anxiously – but the couple can’t leave their eggs behind.

Or can they? Opinions seem to differ. One of them picks up a single egg and legs it. The other, after calling after them in distress, manages to pick up one in the beak and the other two under the wings, but the going is hard. As the situation on the island grows worse, continuing tremors lead to accidents. The couple find themselves with a variety of problems to solve, complicated by the fact that there is no meaningful cooperation between them – and not a great deal of intelligence either.

Shortlisted for 2024’s best Animated Short Oscar, this combines lively 3D animation with that old fashioned mixture of hijinks and mortal peril which was a hallmark of mid-20th Century children’s cartoons. The sound design accompanying the volcanic eruption is very well done and makes it really quite scary, even as we watch the hapless birds dealing with difficulties of their own making. The tension contributes to the comedy, which is beautifully structured and will keep you on your toes. The individual birds are full of personality.

Just over five minutes in length, this delivers a lot of fun in a neat little package, and small children will want to watch it over and over again.