Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Salute Your Shorts: The Legend of the Scarecrow (2005)

The Legend of the Scarecrow 2009 short film review

In an attempt to curb his loneliness, an isolated scarecrow tries to befriend a group of crows. Much to his dismay, however, the crows completely ignore the scarecrow’s every effort. This causes the scarecrow to become deeply saddened, until one day when the scarecrow comes across a wounded, blind crow. The scarecrow nurses the injured creature back to health, and the two becomes fast friends. Out of curiosity, the scarecrow asks the blind crow why the other crows ignore him, in which he learns that the birds are simply afraid of him because he is, after all, a scarecrow. Upset by this notion, the scarecrow approaches his owner to see if there is anything he can do to help him with this situation, but the owner’s reaction results in a chain of events that causes the scarecrow much heartache.  

Written and directed by Marco Besas and beautifully brought to life by animator Carlos Lascano, The Legend of the Scarecrow (aka La leyenda del espantapájaros) is a touching morality tale about the dangers of perception. More so, how people’s perceptions can be skewed by fear of the unknown or by things they cannot understand in a simple manner. The short properly deals with the idea that not everyone or everything is or should be only looked at for what is on the surface, as the surface doesn’t dictate who someone/something is on the inside.

With a wonderful, emotionally driven piano score draped over a haunting narration by Sancho Gracia, The Legend of the Scarecrow is a gothic fairy tale that exudes a dark, somber feeling in a fashion that leaves a powerful impact that anyone can understand and appreciate, no matter what the age. The story is simple and possibly even a little hokey sounding in my own description, but within the confines of this 9 minute short, it works perfectly as a touching tale that can be beneficial to adults and children alike.

Salute Your Shorts 4.5


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