Inner Workings

Dir: Leonardo Matsuda

2016

*****

Inner Workings is a fantastic little short animation that came on just before screenings of 2016's Moana. Director and writer Leonardo Matsuda had the idea of showing a person’s inner conflict from being half Japanese and half Brazilian. It is his contrast of conformist and passionate cultures that made him think of the inner conflict that happens in all of us. Using biological transparent overlays he read from Encyclopædia Britannica as a child as a visual influence, Matsuda shows the internal battle between heart and brain - with the odd interruption from bladder. The main character of the short is Paul. Paul gets up and is met with Stomach's desire for a big fried breakfast. Brain denies his request due to health issues, a bad diet can lead to premature death, case closed. Heart desires a day on the beach, to buy sunglasses from a female vendor he also finds attractive and wants to talk to. Brain denies his request due to work commitments - no, job equals no money, which equals no food and premature death. He also doesn't want to talk to the female vendor as a knock back can lead to a downward spiral of events that could lead to premature death. Heart’s desire to go for a swim is also denied as the sea has sharks in it, which can lead to premature death. Bladder needs a wee, brain accepts with no protest from the other organs. Paul makes it to work on time and begins another day of gruelling data enter with the rest of his co-workers. Come lunch time, Brain realizes that the other organs might just have a point about following the odd desire here and there and desires to leave the office for an adventurous lunch-break. It's a lovely story and the animation is beautifully realized with both computer and hand-drawn techniques in play. Having worked as a story artist on both Big Hero 6 and Wreck-It Ralph I think Matsuda ha a big future in the world of animation. It's quite incredible what he has packed into six minutes of footage and the style of animation is strikingly modern and classical at the same time. Something for everyone and pretty much faultless.