"Man and Whale" is Official Selection of Ottowa Int'l Animation Festival

Seems the Canucks know good animation when they see it. The headline-grabbing "Man and Whale" animated film from Leo Burnett/Beacon Communications has been deemed an "Official Selection" for the Ottowa International Animation Festival, set to run September 19th-23rd. The show is one of the most respected in North America, and we're excited to see how "Man and Whale" performs there. See the film here.

Now, in case you want a little context around this piece, the central argument brought to the overall whaling debate by the Japanese is this: whale meat was the main protein source for Japan after World War II. So, the country feels they should have the right to keep the tradition alive, even without internal demand for the meat.

This film directly addresses this issue and appeals to the history of the issue in a wholly new way. The touching animated film focuses on an elderly man who, like many older Japanese citizens, remembers eating whale meat in school while he was young. During the film, the elderly man is called upon to save a whale. He does so to honor the fact that, as a child, a whale saved him. The film’s message is: “They saved us. It’s our turn now.” As such, the idea visits the topic of Japanese whaling in whole new way.