Fantasy of Companionship between Human and Inanimate is a 14-minute animated short film directed by Susan Lim, Samudra Kajal Saikia, and Christina Teenz Tan.

The short film tells the story of Alan, a baby lion living in the jungle whose soul leaves its body after being shot by a hunter and enters an inanimate plush lion in a toy factory in Tanzania. Soon after that, the plush gets bought by a little girl in California, Christine, as they start their journey of companionship.

The story is a veiled critique of our modern society. Not only does the girl resort to asking a scientist friend to give life to her inanimate furry friend in order to feel less alone when sent off to college, but we can also see a reference to a toy factory in Tanzania, manufacturing tons of toys and shipping them across the world.

There is a cyclic paradox in this story, the cub’s soul left him when he dies, only to enter an unanimated plush toy, which then becomes animated by the means of AI.

We’ve seen the work of the trio of directors before, and their last work features pieces from their previous music videos all stitched together to form a longer and more intricate story. As their previous work, this short film is light, fun, and very enjoyable, with well-composed and well-recorded music. 

A special mention goes to the narrator, whose soothing and warm voice completes the fairy tale element of this story.

A lighthearted animation short film that exposes some of our society’s deepest and more relevant issues.