Best Animated Short – “Metamorphosis” (USA)

Title: Metamorphosis
Runtime: 4 min
Country: USA
Director: Xi Wang
Placement: Best Animated Short
Competition: December, 2020

Synopsis: A butterfly is resurrected from a rare specimen collection and explores the ruins of an ancient civilization that leads to a mysterious underground frozen cave. In the cave, the butterfly meets the Butterfly Man, who is an amalgamation of many other butterflies. The two dance and transform between the human and butterfly shapes. The frozen environment gradually melts, plants and organisms begin to wake up around them. Eventually, the butterfly man is blown away by the wind and becomes part of the natural environment. Metamorphosis reflects my concerns about human memory of lost time. The film explores philosophical ideas about life forms decomposing and then transforming into new organisms, between dreams and reality, and between humans and creatures.