The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello (2005)

Director:

Anthony Lucas

Writers:

Mark Shirrefs (written by) and
Anthony Lucas (story)

Genre:

Animation | Short | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

"Do you wish to see a miracle?" Dr Claude Belgon, Aerial Biologist from the Academy

Plot:

Set in a world of iron dirigibles and steam powered computers, this gothic horror mystery tells the story of Jasper Morello, a disgraced aerial navigator who flees his plague-ridden home on a desperate voyage to redeem himself.

Plot Keywords:

Gothic | Ghost Ship | Industrial | Scientist | Stop Motion

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Joel Edgerton	...	Jasper Morello (voice)
Helmut Bakaitis	...	Doctor Claude Belgon (voice)
Tommy Dysart	...	Captain Griswald (voice)
Jude Beaumont	...	Amelia (voice)
Richard Moss	...	Kovaks and Additional Voices (voice)
Lewis Fiander	...	Engineer Kemp and Additional Voices (voice)

Also Known As:

The World of Jasper Morello (Australia) (informal title)

Runtime:

Australia:26 min | Argentina:28 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Unrated | Australia:M

Company:

3D Films

Excellent short animation feature

This is an immensely enjoyable film, with hints of Tim Burton's early animation work. The plot revolves around Jasper Morello, a navigator who has gained a reprieve after a past mistake and his explorations into unknown territory which lead to a twisted discovery, which while may prove to be his town's salvation, may come at the cost of his own soul.

A word of warning. This is not a children's animation film. The neo-Gothic animation as well as the minimal amount of colour except to emphasize blood ( reminding me of Sin City ) gave the film an effect that may scare young children.

The themes of the greater good and personal over objective feelings come through very well through the film and the ending is actually extremely well-handled under the circumstances. My only gripe, and it really isn't a gripe, is that this could have been lengthened into a longer film. However besides this small criticism there is nothing to complain about. The cast is great, with Edgerton fantastic as the beleaguered navigator Morello and the music is very good. I only wish that this movie got the publicity of Harvey Crumpet, because it certainly deserves it.