Somewhere in the freezing polar oceans is where our story unfolds. It is another nippy day in the polar metropolis, and our little penguin is looking forward to getting away from it all. All she needs is a bit of space, an iota of solitude and some quality ‘me time’. Riding on her nifty little iceberg, she rows away, drifting away, to find some quiet, away from the maddening crowd. But the world seems to have other ideas for her, unwilling to give her the space she needs. The noisy gulls and nosy neighbours intruding into her personal space, wanting to share her ice raft are nature’s signs for her. After driving the intruders away, she dives into the ocean to stock up on some fish for her time at sea, because, after all, who wants to toil when you finally find your solitude? But, when she returns after her dive, she is in for a shock. She stands face to face with a new intruder, bigger than anything she had dealt with before.
‘Polar Opposites’ is an animation short from animator Diana Wey. This delightful creation is reminiscent of the hand-drawn Walt Disney films from the ‘golden era of animations’ or the ‘Walt-era’. Diana effortlessly elicits the emotions she needs for her characters and connects the viewer with her characters right from the word go. Elegant shot compositions, a clean editing style and the music that immerses you into the magical world of these animated characters are the strongest pillars that raise this film to this high pedestal.
Bringing together a penguin and a polar bear in the same frame, Diana explores how polar opposites can co-exist on the same turf. Bringing together two characters from the ends of the world, one a chronic loner and the other out to find a friend in everyone he sees, we ask ourselves; ‘if you do have to see the world through tinted glasses, why not look through the rosy glass of friendship and see friends all around you? And as out little penguin learns, it may not take much to make a new friend, to share and to co-exist on this tiny piece of rock we call home.
