This film is part of Free

Dream Doll

A relationship liable to blow up at any moment is at the heart of this animated short about a man and an inflatable sex doll

Animation & Artists Moving Image 1979 12 mins Silent Not rated

Overview

It takes some clever thinking to make a film about a blow-up sex doll that is actually romantic. Though seemingly about sex, the film shows that what our lonely protagonist really needs is a relationship. This Anglo-Croatian co-production takes the plot of the 1956 French short The Red Balloon and stirs in some of the anarchic sex comedy of Bob Godfrey.

Zagreb Film had produced a number of internationally celebrated animated shorts from the 1950s onwards, with a unique blend of European and American influences. Co-director Zlatko Grgi_ had been one of their leading directors before emigrating to Canada but returned to work on this Oscar-nominated short. The beautiful watercolour backgrounds offer an interesting perspective on London through the eyes of a Croatian who might never have been there.