User Reviews

THE SCENT OF SETH is all about a young girl lying in bed one night when a strange creature called Seth appears at her bedroom window , leads her by the hand and walks down town roads and country lanes . That's pretty much it as the story goes

It's an animated short and no offense to the director and/or animator but the animation is a little too minimalist for its own good . You know these picture books for children pre school age ? Well that's what the animation resembles , either that or the mid 1970s cartoon series ROOBARB AND CUSTARD

But I guess the main point of THE SCENT OF SETH is to put visuals to a poem since the narrator talks in rhyming couplets and I will praise the background music which sets the mood nicely without ever becoming intrusive

I find this short delightful and feel like I must post a response to add balance to the previous poster. This is a beautiful animation. The poem, graphics and soundtrack all come together well. The writer of the previous review is possibly a little shallow to record such a low opinion. I don't recall Roobarb and Custard dealing with mortality or young girls being visited by a child-like Death during the night. The success of this animation is almost entirely due to the childlike quality of the artwork and the young narrator. I've watched it many times and used it in classes. I would like to see more Anita Shukla animations on-line. Take 4 minutes out of your life and watch it!

A young girl awakens to find a strange figure at her window. Out of breath, the figure asks her to follow him, which she does. The further they walk together the more she forgets about who she is as their strange night together begins.

This short animation sees a young girl enjoying a playful night with Death and, although that conjures up the idea of a weird comedy, it is a rather sombre yet pretty affair. The story is very simple but does enough to keep the film moving and it is only really the lack of a meaningful ending (to me anyway) that takes away from it a bit. The narration is pretty well written and interesting and suits the child's voice quite well. The animation is impressive – it is imaginative, interesting and has a good sense of its own style. The characters are recognisable but also strangely different and they fit well into this world that has been created.

Matthews fits well because her voice is that of a child but not a "cute kid" but one that is telling the story with a heavy heart. The only downside of this delivery is that it sounds quite flat, like she is disinterested in her work. It didn't help either that it sounds like she has been recorded inside some form of tin can. Overall, a good short animation that different enough to be of interest for several reasons – just don't expect the world from it.