The Lost Thing
What does “The Lost Thing” mean? If one apathetically watches this short video by Shaun Tan, he or she will assume that it is nothing more than a children’s cartoon with as much meaning as “SpongeBob” or “Tom and Jerry.” However, if the watcher is fully engaged in the brief film, his or her mind will be opened to the powerful message that Tan has to offer: a message of how to live life to the fullest. “The Lost Thing” brings to light how society can encourage its citizens to blend in with the crowd, and reminds one that if he or she dares to be unique, breath-taking things will surely be discovered.
When it comes to the setting of “The Lost Thing,” bland would be a compliment. The city that the story takes place in is pale and faded in color, ranging from the tone of the buildings to the shades of people’s clothing. Just as depressing as the color scheme was in this fictional metropolis was the lives that its citizens lived. Every day, the average joe had the same routine: wake up, take the tightly packed bus to work, work his or her shift with zero distractions, take the same, even more crammed bus home, eat dinner, go to bed, then repeat everything the next day. A notable takeaway from the typical day in the life of this film is the bus ride of the people. The way every person is jam-packed, shoulder to shoulder within the frame of the bus can be compared to a sardine in a sardine can. Just like sardines, the people in this town are branded as nothing more special than what is on either side of them.
The main character in “The Lost Thing” dared to break from this mold, and is blessed with a life full of excitement and adventure by doing so. By taking on the quest to find out what the thing is, the protagonist is able to reap the benefits of experiencing sensations that very few others in his world have; these sensations ranged from curiosity with trying to determine what the thing is, to a “warm, fuzzy” feeling with watching the “thing” find its home and sense of belonging in life. As the protagonist is overcome with these emotions, he is able to truly feel what it is to be human, and what it is to be alive. To best summarize this concept of uniqueness and its rewards, the hidden, vibrant home of the “thing” and the many other “things” is used. This hidden world represents a life that is worth living: a life full of individuality, a life full of brightness, and a life full of happiness and purpose.