The Moon That Fell into the Sea

Synopsis

The moon that fell into the deep sea awoke in the darkness. An angler fish arrived there. The moon told the angler fish why he had fallen into the sea, but the angler fish did not listen to the story because he was too busy fishing. After eating a fish, he left. Next came a shark. He attempted to carry the moon back to the sky, but grew too tired partway through and abandoned the moon. Then crabs came. They carried the moon to the beach because they needed the light of a full moon to lay their eggs. Once they finished laying their eggs, they returned home. The moon, left alone on the beach, was swept away by the waves and ended up back in the sea. The moon rolled down a hill and landed on a turtle. It was a very old turtle who should know many things. The moon asked the turtle how to return to the sky. The turtle asked a ray buried in the sand to take the moon along. The ray took the moon and dropped him into the deepest part of the sea. The moon sank deeper and deeper. At the bottom of the sea, there was a big fish. Wrapped in particles of light streaming from the mouth of the big fish, the moon rose to the surface of the sea and dissolved. Did the moon return to the sky? This animation can be interpreted in various ways by different viewers. For instance, it may be seen as a story of the moon that fell into the sea whether in reality or in a dream, or as a story of an old moon that had to die to give birth to a new moon, or as a story of a soul journeying to heaven. No matter what interpretation viewers choose, the story conveys a positive message: that we are all permitted to exist. Represented in this animation is a small world that gently embraces all of us—transient beings...

Background

Winner of the 2013 Oofuji Noburou Award at the Mainichi Film Awards.