The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello is an Australian short movie released in 2005. Visually dark yet stunning silhouette animation was developed by director Anthony Lucas and is inspired by the work of authors such as Edgar Alan Poe and Jules Verne. Oneiric world with a dystopian city of Gothia dominated by steampunk-like machines is a heart of pollution and disease which kill its citizens.
The protagonist, royal navigator Jasper Morello is deployed by the government to distribute mobile weather beacons along the route of his next voyage. The dirigible, sort of an aircraft called Resolution is joined by Dr. Belgon a "controversial biologist" searching for a cure for the plague destroying the city population. Morello's wife who stayed in the city as well as one the crew members caught the illness. When they decide to return to the city, they find a levitating island inhabited by a thorny bug. Its blood, when cooked cures illness of the crew member. The doctor suggests to take cocoons of the species and bring them to Gothia to cure the citizens as well. Yet a bug which was born of one of the cocoons feeds with human blood. Morello and the captain need to make a decision if to stop Dr. Belgon in his attempt to continue the experiment or let the bugs grow and live on the crew members' blood until they reach the city.

There are only few major color tones used in the movie - yellow, blue, brown and grey/black. Animations include both 2D and 3D objects.

(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz)





Watch the video: