Fear Of Flying

Dougal is a charming wee chap, a felt-textured fellow of some blue bird-like persuasion. He's plagued by nightmares - of falling - and for all that he's, you know, a bird, he's powerless to deal with them.

So when the other birds of the forest have made plans to fly south, to "get the flock out of here", he pops down to the shop to stock up on supplies. Displaying tremendous character design, including some amazing bulbous squirrels, with brilliant model-work and some excellent seasonal transitions, this is a charming bit of stop-motion, and well worth seeking out.

It's programmed at a number of festivals, and time and effort to track it down will be rewarded with a film that's beautifully crafted, light-hearted, and genuinely entertaining. Written by two Conors, one Ferguson, one Finnegan, and directed by the latter too, it manages jaunty bonhomie as Dougal tries to disguise his nervousness and stark terror at altitude. There's a lovely bit of focus work at the start of the perilous ladder that runs from his little house to the forest floor, and there are some real delights in his trudging progress towards flight.

There are loads of lovely wee details, including a tiny trickle of melting ice-cream that does a lot to ground the film in, well, not reality, but something that isn't difficultly far. All involved deserve high praise, and it was a well-received winner of the audience award in the International category at Glasgow's 2013 Short Film Festival. Fear of Flying is a breezy treat.