Stanley Pickle Review

Today, I watched the stop motion short film Stanley Pickle by Victoria Mather. Initially, I found the movements and the characters a bit creepy. However, after watching it further and thinking more in-depth about what was really happening, I enjoyed it thoroughly. The film follows a boy, Stanley Pickle, as he goes about his day. Then, he sees a girl dancing with a bird. After the bird dies, he wants to help the girl by bringing it back to life through automation. This scares the girl and Stanley finds a new appreciation for life and death.

In terms of aesthetic, the animation has a surreal quality to it, which is further enhanced with the steampunk elements. The animation's use of pixilation helps the parent characters seem more robotic than human and is juxtaposed with the girl who seems to ice-skate in a field. The film also reveals bits of information about Stanley over the course of its runtime. One of those reveals is when the audience learns that his parents are automated, with Stanley winding up the keys on their backs. This scene suggests how lonely Stanley feels and continues to be a motivating factor for him in the film. Another reveal comes when Stanley's bedroom transforms into an operating/work room where he then automates the dead bird. The audience is then able to realize that he must have done the same thing to his parents, implying that they are also dead and this could be Stanley's way of mourning their loss.

As a character, Stanley seems to be constantly motivated by his loneliness and him trying to avoid feeling that way. This is evident when he sees that the girl is sad that her bird died and he decides to bring it back to life for her. This plan backfires when the girl is scared of the automated bird, with Stanley learning that there are some things that are better left alone and ultimately finding an appreciation for both life and death.