The Smeds And The Smoos

The Smeds are red. The Smoos are blue. Can there ever be friendship between the two?

Adapted from Julia Donalson’s popular children’s book, Samantha Cutler and Daniel Snaddon’s charming kids’ animation is an unusual contender amongst this year’s line-up of Oscar qualifying short films. One wonders if its success is down to a lingering affection amongst adult voters for the works of Dr Seuss, whose style it closely resembles. For those willing to look closely, however, there is much to admire. From Sally Hawkins’ brilliantly delivered narration to the painstaking effort involved in delivering the action, it’s a great piece of work which shouldn’t be devalued just because of its target audience.

The Smeds and the Smoos of the title, each one carefully crafted and full of personality, inhabit the same planet but strongly disapprove of the others’ ways, dividing their territories with a neat row of stones which no-one crosses. Some areas lie beyond both their borders, however, and this includes a forest full of mysterious creatures and exotic plants. This is a magnet for teenagers, and when the equally disaffected Janet of the Smeds and Bill of the Smoos go exploring there, they have a mutually shocking encounter. All a-tingle in its aftermath, they begin to form a connection which will in due course lead to romance and – once their elders discover it – an interplanetary elopement.

By resisting the temptation to be overly faithful to the wording of the book, the film gets closer to its spirit. It’s bursting with charm and tempers the seriousness of its lesson about racism (quite a departure from Dr Seuss) with a mischievous streak which will appeal to viewers of all ages. The narration is structured so that the rhymes don’t become annoying and there’s lots of delightful visual content, including incidents specially invented for the film which fit in so neatly that if you haven’t read the book you’re unlikely to spot them.

Animation should have the power to speak to everyone. Children deserve high quality entertainment as much as anyone else, and this delightful little film is one they’ll want to watch again and again.