Watch Ross Stringer’s ‘Crab Day,’ Winner Of The British Short Animation BAFTA Over The Weekend

Ross Stringer’s Crab Day won the BAFTA for British Short Animation over the weekend and is available on the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ Youtube channel.

In the film, a boy growing up in a village of crabbers refuses to kill one of the crustaceans he’s caught, thus delaying a would-be rite of passage into manhood.

A coming-of-age tale, Crab Day needs no dialogue, minimalist stick-figure sketches, and a nearly monochromatic color palette to relay a rich and rewarding story. The film’s aesthetic charm is further enhanced by a playful soundtrack that keeps things light, even as the stakes grow larger and larger.

Comparisons to How to Train Your Dragon and The Sea Beast have been made in several reviews of the short, and they feel appropriate. That said, Crab Day is a bit more grounded in its approach, although it doesn’t forgo fantasy elements completely, allowing for an unexpended climax.