Animeiddiad | Animation
Yn ngoedwig wedi'i gwneud o alar a chofion, mae stori'n datblygu.
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In a forest made of grief and memories, a story unfolds.
Director's Statement:
Y Coed Papur / The Paper Trees was inspired by the strange poetry of paper maquettes; especially of trees. There’s something hauntingly cyclical about cutting down trees, pulping them into paper, and then using that paper to recreate the trees we’ve lost.
The film imagines a world where artists have felled every tree for their craft, only to realise too late what they’ve destroyed. In trying to rebuild the forest out of paper, they confront both ecological loss and emotional grief.
While it reads as an environmental parable, it’s also a layered story about nostalgia, memory, and the human impulse to preserve beauty; even if in fragile, imperfect forms. I wanted this story to resonate with both children and adults.
The project draws inspiration from the work of Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, and the silhouette art of Jan Pieńkowski and Auguste Edouart. Visually, I was heavily influenced by traditional shadow puppet theatre and the early animation of Lotte Reiniger.
Ultimately, The Paper Trees is about quiet restoration, how we mourn what’s lost, and how art helps us rebuild.
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Dir. Paddy Merrigan
Music by Goga Tamás & Albăcan Bogdan Radu
Welsh narration by Sarah Zyborska
English narration by Samuel Wynne Davies
Mixing by Gabriel Cichi