Hemlock

We’re on a bit of an arty vibe today and in his short film, Hemlock, self-taught animator Tyson Ibele from New Zealand tells the story of an ancient myth using a Steampunk aesthetic. This what Ibele has to say about how the story and title came about.

The story came from an idea I had a few years ago about a twist on the “King Midas” myth, where instead of a king touching something and turning it into gold, he touches it and it turns into clockwork. Then, I adapted that idea into the “Fountain of Youth” story, because I felt I could work a better over-arching narrative into it.

The film is named after a plant called hemlock that was used in poisons throughout history. It’s a fairly innocuous-looking member of the parsley family, in plant terms, but it is quite deadly. So, it’s a reference to the way the water from the well in the film seems desirable….but drinking it has terrible consequences.

Terrible consequences indeed. It’s a creepy tale and animated well. See it below or watch it in HD at Vimeo.

[via Haha.nu]