Wander to Wonder
{{Short description|2023 Dutch-Belgian-French-English animated short film}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| native_name =
| name = Wander To Wonder
| image = Wander to Wonder Film Poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| writer = Nina Gantz
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Neil Salvage
- Toby Jones
- Amanda Lawrence
- Terence Dunn
}}
| narrator =
| cinematography =
| music = Terence Dunn
| editing =
| director = Nina Gantz
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Stienette Bosklopper
- Nina Gantz
- Ben Tesseur
- Maarten Swart
- Annemie Degryse
- Steven De Beul
}}
| production_companies =
| distributor = Miyu Distribution
| released = {{Film date|2023}}
| runtime = 14 minutes
| country = {{Plainlist|
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- France
- United Kingdom
}}
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Wander To Wonder is a 2023 animated short film, written and directed by Nina Gantz.{{Cite web |last=Giraud |first=Kévin |date=October 25, 2024 |title=2025 Oscar Contenders: 'Wander To Wonder' Director Nina Gantz |url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/shorts/2025-oscar-contenders-wander-to-wonder-director-nina-gantz-243514.html |access-date=December 20, 2024 |website=Cartoon Brew |language=en-US |archive-date=December 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220164321/https://www.cartoonbrew.com/shorts/2025-oscar-contenders-wander-to-wonder-director-nina-gantz-243514.html |url-status=live }} The film was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the Academy Awards{{Cite web |date=January 23, 2025 |title=The 97th Academy Awards {{!}} 2025 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250131185927/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2025 |archive-date=January 31, 2025 |access-date=January 23, 2025 |website=www.oscars.org |language=en}} and won the BAFTA award for Best British Short Animation.{{Cite web |title=Film |url=https://www.bafta.org/awards/film?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIueSh1fKLiwMVu4dQBh05jDASEAAYASAAEgIXjfD_BwE |access-date=January 23, 2025 |website=Bafta |language=en}}
Plot
Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton are tiny humans who starred in the 80s children's television show called Wander to Wonder, where they dressed up as silly creatures and were guided by the creator and host, Uncle Gilly. At the start of the film, however, the creator has passed away unexpectedly in the studio (also Uncle Gilly's home), stranding the stars for an indeterminate amount of time as they struggle to survive and find a sense of normalcy. Mary, deeply mourning Uncle Gilly and in denial that their lives have changed, continues to perform material in front of the camera, watches reruns of their program, and reads old fan letters. Fumbleton entertains himself by performing Shakespeare monologues while half-dressed or looking outside, and the mute, spacey Billybud repeatedly juggles leftover props.
Food grows scarce, and the stars are left eating flies that have been feasting on the creator's corpse. As Fumbleton and Mary argue about their future, Billybud accidentally sets the studio on fire while juggling lit matches. The stars survive the house fire by hiding in the oven, and in the morning, they exit to find the studio completely burned down and the camera broken. A hole in the wall reveals a bird that intends to prey on them, but Fumbleton manages to save them and kill the bird with a makeshift spear. The three stars feel the breeze from outdoors and step hopefully into the sunlight, finally accepting the new chapter of their lives.
Production
The 14-minute stop motion film about different ways of grieving{{Cite web |last=Zahed |first=Ramin |date=April 26, 2024 |title='Wander to Wonder' Director Nina Gantz Explores the Existential Angst of Puppets |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/04/wander-to-wonder-director-nina-gantz-explores-the-existential-angst-of-her-award-winning-stop-motion-short/ |access-date=December 20, 2024 |language=en-US}} took eight years to complete and was a co-production between four countries: France, Belgium, United Kingdom and the Netherlands.{{Cite web |last=Driessen |first=KEES |date=August 27, 2024 |title=Nina Gantz over Wander to Wonder |url=https://filmkrant.nl/interview/nina-gantz-over-wander-to-wonder/ |access-date=January 30, 2025 |website=Filmkrant |language=nl-NL |archive-date=January 30, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250130163317/https://filmkrant.nl/interview/nina-gantz-over-wander-to-wonder/ |url-status=live }}
Accolades
Wander to Wonder has been selected in various international film festivals,{{Cite web |last=Peikert |first=Mark |date=October 22, 2024 |title=‘Flow,’ ‘Memoir of a Snail’ Win Big at 7th Annual Animation Is Film Festival |url=https://www.indiewire.com/awards/results/animation-is-film-2024-winners-flow-memoir-of-a-snail-1235059080/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220164319/https://www.indiewire.com/awards/results/animation-is-film-2024-winners-flow-memoir-of-a-snail-1235059080/ |archive-date=December 20, 2024 |access-date=December 20, 2024 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}} including Anima Brussels Festival and the Venice Film Festival, where it premiered and won the Best International Short Award.{{Cite web |date=July 12, 2023 |title=Biennale Cinema 2023 {{!}} Wander to Wonder |url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2023/orizzonti/wander-wonder |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250102170520/https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2023/orizzonti/wander-wonder |archive-date=January 2, 2025 |access-date=January 2, 2025 |website=La Biennale di Venezia |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Wander to Wonder (Teaser) |url=https://www.blinkink.co.uk/projects/wander-to-wonder-teaser |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250112001558/https://www.blinkink.co.uk/projects/wander-to-wonder-teaser |archive-date=January 12, 2025 |access-date=January 2, 2025 |website=blinkink.co.uk |language=en-GB}} The film also received the Best British Short Film Award at the 2024 British Independent Film Awards.{{Cite web |date=October 15, 2024 |title=Winners & Nominations · BIFA · British Independent Film Awards |url=https://www.bifa.film/awards/2024/winners-nominations/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241226014357/https://www.bifa.film/awards/2024/winners-nominations/ |archive-date=December 26, 2024 |access-date=December 18, 2024 |website=BIFA · British Independent Film Awards |language=en-GB}}
References
External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv4wugFeKSc&ab_channel=FestivalAnima Official Trailer] on YouTube.
- {{imdb title|28768679|Wander to Wonder}}
- [https://en.unifrance.org/movie/57209/wander-to-wonder Wander to Wonder] on Unifrance.
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Wander to Wonder
|list =
{{Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Short Animation}}
}}
Category:2020s British animated films
Category:2020s French animated films
Category:2023 animated short films
Category:Animated films set in the 1980s
Category:BAFTA winners (films)
Category:Best Animated Short Subject Annie Award winners
Category:British animated short films
Category:Dutch animated short films
Category:Films about television
Category:French animated short films