Rob Munday
Finding quality family-friendly films for Short of the Week is a constant struggle. Discovering those shorts that strike the sweet spot between holding a child’s attention and entertaining an adult is trickier than it sounds. Luckily, we have the French animation schools to thank for keeping us in steady supply. The latest such short is Latitude Du Printemps, a charming tale of an abandoned dog from six Supinfocom Rubika students.
Set in a tiny world inhabited by adorable toys, Latitude Du Printemps introduces us to its trio of main characters – a deserted dog, a wannabe young astronaut and a highly competitive cyclist – as they go about their everyday lives. When the boy discovers the dog, chained to a lampost, he becomes obsessed with befriending it and setting it free, but things don’t go quite as planned and soon they will both need the help of their bike-obsessed neighbour.
It’s a simple storyline, but it’s brought to the screen with such vigour and energy that it makes Latitude Du Printemps impossible to ignore. From the killer style to the sprightly soundtrack, the production works in glorious harmony to make this eight-minute short really pop. Instantly immersing you in its minuscule universe, the filmmaking here means Latitude Du Printemps hits all the sweet spots, resulting in a strong emotional attachment to the characters and plenty of laughs along the way.
The film’s aesthetic is elevated through the playful use of frames throughout.
For a film that excels in so many areas, it feels strange to single out one particular aspect of the filmmaking as being vital in its success, but for me, it’s really the clever uses of frames here that sets this short apart and makes it so special. From the moment you get that first split-screen action, just 30-seconds in, Latitude Du Printemps elevates itself from just another cute kids film to a technically impressive and surprising complex short. Starting simple enough, the use of these frames goes into hyperdrive as the film advances, but thankfully they never feel like just another visual gimmick here and are cleverly used throughout to provide extra insight into the characters and help propel their journeys.
Wearing its influences proudly on its sleeves – its part Toy Story, part A Town Called Panic and part Minuscule – Latitude Du Printemps will win no awards for narrative originality, but the creativity, originality and attention to detail employed to bring it to the screen means it’s a real standout short and should result in a strong foundation for its creators – Chloé Bourdic, Sylvain Cuvillier, Théophile Coursimault, Noémie Halberstam, Maÿlis Mosny and Zijing Ye – to carry into their careers. Having toured festivals worldwide in 2021 the short snuck online in early 2022 with little fanfare, hopefully we can change that as it’s a short that deserves to be watched by both young and old.