Gobelins Graduation Film ‘The Story Of Three Sisters’ Resonates With A Gentle Yet Profound Message
The Gobelins School graduation film, The Story of Three Sisters, or How the World Came to Have Four Seasons Instead of One, masterfully pays homage to the classics of animation, blending pastel-inspired visuals with an ambitious and poetic narrative style.
The film was written and directed by a team of seven students: Raphaëlle Bourgon, Anchi Huang, Vega Lázaro, Son Tra Le, Priyam Parikh, Jianuo Wen, and Di Wu.
Its story unfolds in a world maintained by three goddess-sisters (Ida, Mae, and Tee) each keeping balance in her own way. The middle sister, Mae, who is tired of the carefully managed paradise overseen by her perfectionist elder sister, Ida, ventures into the forbidden real world to see what new wonders await. Instead, her actions disrupt this harmonious world, introducing the unavoidable forces of change and mortality.
Mae’s bold decision causes disorder, yet it ultimately reveals a truth: even the most pleasant stability becomes stale without growth. Through Mae’s journey, perhaps the sisters will come to recognize the beauty and depth that transformation brings to life.
In short, summer is great, but it’s even more appreciable once you’ve had that taste of the frigid, dark days of winter.
This film’s blend of pastel animation, 2d artistry, and stop-motion technique evokes the visual lyricism of Fantasia and the delicate touch of Chinese animation master Te Wei, and it is a surprisingly mature work for a student film. It resonates with a gentle yet profound message, celebrating growth, renewal, and the power of transformation that change brings.
