Crayon Angel

Synopsis

In Crayon Angel, Tanaami recalls his childhood memories of wartime Japan during the Second World War. The animation mixes wartime footage, family photographs and pop imagery, much of which is seen through fusuma-like grids that cut apart the image and distance it from the viewer. The soundtrack includes a haunting heartbeat, sounds of sirens and Robert Plant’s moans. The title refers to a campaign ran during the war by a confectionary company that asked children to submit crayon drawings of their brand icon, an angel, which had a profound emotional impact on Tanaami as a child.