“Best Animation”

★★★★★

“This is an excellent example of when story and animation work seamlessly together.”

The Explorer is what animation is all about, by finding new ways of telling impactful stories with unconstrained creativity and artistic passion. This film not only tells a powerful and distinctive story, but it tells it in a way that all audiences would understand and evokes a thoughtful response worth contemplating.

First things first, the animation is stunning. The colour palette, the character design, the world building and so much more. What’s not to love about this animated film! This deserves to be experienced by as many people as possible to give it justice.

Director and animation ‘I Ting Kao’ has created a memorable and compelling film which would surely impress the likes of Pixar and Dreamworks, especially considering her age. I Ting Kao is clearly not a first time filmmaker and explores a compelling message which we should all take a moment to consider. ‘Are we enslaved by societal rules and losing our freedom of choice?’.

With such a serious message to explore, it’s surprising the use of animation I Ting Kao has chosen as it feels almost like something you’d see on a kids TV program. Instead it gives the story more significance as it creates a unique twist on the otherwise dark tone. The choice to tell the story this way is both original and creative.

The score by Uno Huang perfectly matches the automated and robotic tone of the film and gives it a unique sound which makes elevates the animation and story.

This is an excellent example of when story and animation work seamlessly together. With this calibre of film, the future looks very bright for I Ting Kao. This film will not only impress audiences but likely inspire others to try the same. We’re proud to give this film 5 stars.

— APEX Film Awards