“The Flooded Playground” shows–through sometimes surreal animation–the dangers looming through childhood and our inevitable task of overcoming fears and coming to grips with our own sense of being. The character here lives in the comfort of her own little playhouse, until the dangers from the outside inevitably corrupt her own world, and now she must venture out and help a friend who she comes across on her journey. Crafts’ animation is very unique with the nuance of “Alice in Wonderland” except with a more distinct allegorical message of childhood. The character’s obstacles along her journey were very reminiscent of “Alice in Wonderland”, and Crafts is never afraid to strive for bizarre with our main character confronting dog faced flowers, a gigantic spider, and a singing tree. “The Flooded Playground” confronts the themes of childhood trauma and overcoming obstacles to reach that level in our life when we’re ready to take on anything, and it’s a satisfying bit of experimental animation.
