Unhome

Directed by Monica Scanlan

2023

Script Sirens

Nominated for Best Animation at the 2023 Midlands Movies Awards, Unhome is a new stop-motion animation from Monica Scanlan made as part of Script Siren's ‘Spectrum’ anthology.

Script Sirens champions the talents of women and non-binary creatives and this recent anthology of shorts showcases different animation styles accompanied by original music.

In Unhome we are introduced to a shipwrecked dog who jumps in the sea before washing up on a beach in an unknown land. Immediately, the excellent animation pops from the screen with a beautifully rendered blue dog model and some fantastic aquatic visuals.

And the homemade nature of the short is more than part of its charm. Plasticine fur mixes well with cotton wool leaves and our loveable mutt gets covered in fruit as he forages for food.

After heading further into some woods, the dog is then confronted by a pack of purple indigenous hounds who look menacingly on before they chase our lead dog away.

Straight away, the dog in Unhome reminded me of two of the best stop-motion dogs out there – Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie and Nick Park’s Gromit. Plenty of character and mischief and all delivered without dialogue.

However, another big influence must be Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs (his best film by the way) where a pack of stranded/lost dogs form bonds and rivalries on a remote island.

Unhome is more than just a shaggy dog story though. It certainly has metaphorical elements which explore shared cultures and community. With its plot concerning someone coming from a distant land with no belongings and not being welcomed by the locals, there’s also an element of migration being discussed too.

And on the technical side, knowing how long stop motion takes to animate, the short’s 3-minute runtime is in itself a huge achievement but the many meanings and layers it conveys in that time is also mightily impressive. The attention to detail and the delivery of the plot is also wonderfully handled as the filmmaker uses physical movement and non-verbal animation to tell their story.

An excellent and vivid film of acceptance and finding common ground, Unhome has many impressive qualities. And although it seems a simple animal story, the parallel between one dog’s search for help, and mixing it with contemporary social concerns adds an intelligent twist to this very splendid tale (tail?).

★★★★★

5/5

Michael Sales