For me, the definition of an excellent animated movie has always revolved around Disney, Pixar, Ghibli, Anime, and accessible movies from French animation studios. Brilliant stories and animation from these studios have always left an impact. They are entertaining and informative but remain largely non-relatable.
These movies were subtly a beautiful introduction to something foreign.
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Tokri teleports you to a commoner’s life in the mega-city of Mumbai, where a small family of three shares a tiny house. The set is crafted in jaw-dropping details, from the room’s contents to the characters’ attire. That tiny room has little secrets of its own. The daughter discovers them and causes a minor accident. That is where the unpredictable 15-minute short story of Tokri leaps.
The script demands the street life of Mumbai to come into frame. There is a signal, moving vehicles, people in those vehicles, and roadside shops that precisely look like an Indian shops. No stone is left unturned to give a realistic feel.
The background score reminded me of Mary and Max, another highly recommended stop-motion movie based on real life. Tokri has traces of cello which beautifully blends with pieces that are more Indian.
As the movie progresses, no character utters a word in human language. This makes Tokri available to a global audience. There is no language barrier. All the communications are done via the characters’ actions and facial expressions, which is, unarguably, a remarkable feat.
The whole time Tokri drips love – the love between a small family, the love for the achievements and souvenirs, and the love for the craft of stop-motion animation.
Tokri is familiar, it was screened at the 15th Mumbai Film Festival in 2018, and it bothers me that many viewers of animation movies discovered it late, including me. Though short, it gave me a sense of relatability and awe, a feeling I have only found in the Disney movies of the 90s, some select French animations, and from Studio Ghibli.
Tokri gives me hope that the animation industry in India is not dry, nor in Pakistan, that there are stories that can emerge from the nooks and corners of this country and make their mark. I hope that, like in Japan, where Manga and Anime are a part of the culture, animation in India will not be “cartoony” and viewed as appropriate only for children but as an independent art form of storytelling and bringing them to life.
Here you watch Tokri:
Award-Winning Stop Motion Animated Short | Tokri (The Basket)
Once you are done watching the movie, watch behind the scenes:
Tokri (The Basket) Behind the Scenes – Animating Tokri
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