In Review: Away

Synopsis: AWAY follows a young boy after a mysterious crash landing, as he travels across an island on a motorcycle, trying to escape a dark spirit and return home.

Review: Set to premiere in Los Angeles on 29 November is ‘Away’. The latest animated film from Gints Zilbalodis. ‘Away’ uses sound and animation to tell an enthralling story that will melt hearts.

The Story

‘Away’ has a fairly simple story, but the beauty of it is very much in the details. In short. When a young boy plane crashes on a mysterious island. He finds himself all alone with only an imposing monster, which seems to be following him. When he sees the monster try to smother and kill a small bird. The boy runs to the rescue and saves the bird from the monster. Finding an old motorcycle the boy tucks the bird away in his rucksack and rides away armed only with a small postcard map of the island. What follows is a wonderful adventure where the boy makes a few animal friends, but the monster is never too far behind.

The Animation

Done entirely on a computer. The animation is absolutely stunning. There is a rather nice shot of a Skeleton that the boy finds at one point in the movie that even gave me goosebumps. But it is not just creatures and skeletons that show off how good the visuals are here. We also get some nice views of mountain ranges as well as a number of gorgeous moments dotted throughout the film.  I particularly enjoyed the moment where the boy uses a rock to destroy a wooden bridge, which sees the Monster fall through it to the ground. The visual of the monster falling is just stunning.

Sound Effects & Music

The sound effects and music in this film are gorgeous. There are some really nice touches to the sound insofar as the wind noises that we hear when the boy is in the mouth of a case as well as the hint of running water. As well as the waves crashing against the shore, which we hear intermittently throughout the movie. The music, which is used very subtly is beautiful. I loved the use of piano with the darker sounds of some of the bigger string instruments.

Overall

‘Away’ is a wonderful achievement and one of those rare films that is able to tell a decent story by just using moving images and sound. There are lots of cute animals in the film, which will keep younger viewers happy, but the beauty of the imagery mixed with the great soundtrack and sound effects will have most adults mesmerized.

• You can find out more about this great animation at www.subliminalfilms.com/away