This year marks the 10th anniversary of the release of the charming animated short Harbor Tale (ハーバーテイル, 2011). To celebrate the occasion, the animator Yūichi ITŌ (伊藤有壱) and his team at I.TOON are crowdfunding for a special edition DVD and book on CAMPFIRE.
I have been a fan of Itō’s stop motion animation since I first discovered the delightful series Knyacki! (ニャッキ!, 1995-) on the NHK when my children were small. He has a real knack for expressive character design and diverting visual storytelling.
Harbor Tale brings to life the idiom “if these walls could talk” quite literally. The central character is Mr. Brick – one of the famous red bricks from the historical buildings of Yokohama. Through Mr. Brick’s perspective, we are taken on a colourful journey through the history of this port town from the days when the clack of geta could be heard on the city streets to the modern era.
It is a culturally significant work for the way that it engages audiences of all ages with the history the city of Yokohama. Since moving to Yokohama in 2019, I have been delighted to see Mr. Brick in souvenir shops all over town. Don’t miss out on your chance to support this artist.