Shaun Tan’s award-winning piece explored an interesting array of themes. In the film, the impressionable main character is introduced to a red monstrosity that maintains an affable persona. Despite this cheerful demeanor, the creature initially lay abandoned and neglected from the general populace. As the story deepens and the emotional investment grows, the boy is ultimately forced to sever the bond between him and the creature as he attempts to return to normalcy.
While I have lain out a synopsis, Tan’s insightful film engages the audience with his careful use of animation and narration. In my opinion, I believe that the story captured the varying amount of personalities and ambitions that everyone carries, especially in youth. Full of boundless optimism and an energetic spirit, these ideas serve as a foundation to propel us forward. While we develop, these dreams can become occluded — diluted by insecurities and a desperate conviction to assimilate.
These ideas are reinforced by the relinquishment of the creature to a dream-like world, full of similar entities. Left with wallowing doubt and an encompassing void, the boy matures and is indoctrinated as he is left in the ease of his normal routine.
In the boy’s world, everything is dull. Everyone goes/walks in the same direction, has the same clothes, and wears the same bored expression. The cars are the same — as well as the buildings. Everything is the same color. However, the lost thing is unique. It has a bright red color to match its large bulbous figure. It made sounds, even though not much else in the film did. Although people usually help lost kids (in our world at least), everyone ignored and did not care about the lost thing.
I think the lost thing symbolizes what makes the boy unique + different. He originally goes to the bureau place, but they will completely eradicate and make him forget who he is. I think that at the end of the film, he decides to “hide” away his difference to match the rest of the world. However he does not forget about it and attemWhat was the short film, “The Lost Thing” by Shaun Tan, pt to make himself into someone else. He accepts it and knows who he is inside, and thinks of it fondly.
I believe that the film was about never giving up and perseverance. I think when struggling with something most people feel frustrated and lost. After finding the thing and realizing it was lost the boy begins searching for the things owner so he can find its rightful place. He was unable to find the “things” owner or home. Then the boy visits his friend to try and figure out what the “thing” is. They are unable to figure out what it is or where its from, which exemplifies a road block in life. Nevertheless they preserved and continues looking for a solution to finding the “thing” a home.
The struggle continues, when the boy saw the advertisement for the Bureau of Lost Things it was a new opportunity to find a home for the “thing”. Upon arriving there the building gave off a very weird vibe and the the janitor also advised against leaving the “thing” there. Now would’ve been an easy time for the boy to give up and just let the “thing” continue to be lost. Instead the boy takes some advice from the janitor and they venture out to find a proper home for the “thing” again. This time they were successful and found the perfect place for the “thing” with other things similar to it where it would be accepted. to me the underlying theme of this film was to show how important perseverance and never giving up was. they could’ve easily given up on finding a home after failing so many times but, they stuck with it and eventually found the perfect home for the “thing”.