“Little Red Plane” is a lushly visual short film about a little boy whose toy plane allows him to embark on a “flight of fancy” that reunites him with is deceased fighter pilot father. In doing so, it examines issues that might be considered a little heavy for an animated short film.
For those of you not watching animated shorts (or “cartoons,” if you want to be vulgar about it) for messages of hope, the animation in “Little Red Plane” is top notch and technically very impressive. Striking detail, rich colors and shading, and endearing characters should keep any animation fan happy. Filmmaker Joey Jones has cited classic French short “The Red Balloon” as an influence on “Little Red Plane,” which makes some sense, but I think “Balloon’s” Pascal could have benefited from having some .50 caliber machine guns when those punk a*s French kids starting throwing rocks at his balloon.
