Fata Morgana (2011) User Reviews

Mirages

[Rectangular_businessman · 7/10 · 13 April 2024]

A brief but effective short but with an unexpected twist at its conclusion.

A little bit unfair, in my opinion, considering the lemonade seller tried to do the right thing at the end, despite his initial intention to trick his thirsty client, but he ends being punished by that choice.

Maybe it was already too late for such kind of change of heart?

Maybe I'm overthinking things, and there isn't any real moral intention behind this amusing little animation.

Now one would question what is even doing a lemonade stand in the middle of the desert in the first place, but then again, the answer is probably cartoon logic.

Very simple and cute....and quite entertaining.

[planktonrules · 23 July 2012]

This short film is by Frodo Kuipers from Studio Mosquito in the Netherlands. Although Kuipers does not have that many credits on IMDb, I sure hope you'll see a lot more in the near future, as "Fata Morgana" is a lot of fun.

Before I begin discussing what's in the film, you should understand that "Fata Morgana" is an Italian phrase that is akin to the English concept of a mirage, or an optical illusion caused by the sun. The title is quite appropriate, as it's an odd story about the powerful effects of the sun on a very thirsty man who is operating a lemonade stand in the middle of the desert (don't over-think this, just accept the insane premise). The problem is that he's struggling with his own thirst and his own greed. How this all plays out, I'll let you see for yourself--I don't want to spoil the surprise.

While the quality of the animation is very, very, very simple, it's also quite effective. That's because the basic story is so good--an important thing for all young animators to consider. See this one--it's cute and enjoyable.