Review: Wortelconfituur-Carrot Jam (2014)

Director: Anne Viel | 6 minutes | animation, family, short film | Original voice cast: Christophe Jacquelin

The five-minute animated film “Carrot Jam” (2013) is part of the project “The smell of carrots” (2013, original title “Le parfum de la carotte”) by the French studio Les Films du Nord. “Carrot Jam” (“La confiture de carottes”) is a creation of the young filmmaker Anne Viel, who was asked by the studio’s boss, Arnaud Demuynck, to contribute to the “carrot project” with minimal resources. Viel made up a funny story about two befriended rabbits who are fond of carrot jam (“jam” in Flemish). They thought they made a good supply, enough to get through the winter. But then it turns out that their reserves are not infinite. In the middle of winter, they cannot just get fresh carrots. But who says that carrots only grow in gardens? Certainly not their Uncle Robert, a dazzling world traveler who left them a priceless gift. His notebook certainly manages to stimulate the rabbits’ fantasy.

“Carrot Jam” is a cute video that will do especially well with the little ones. The animations are very basic; a simple mixture of shapes and textures, surrounded by white edges and provided with bright colors. Crucial is the role of the narrator, whose voice is used as an instrument, complementing the music of Thierry Viel (undoubtedly related to the filmmaker). Simple and effective, but otherwise not really special.