anyone lived in a pretty how town

anyone lived in a pretty how town is an illustration of the titular poem by E.E. Cummings, narrated by the late Jane Goodall. The piece follows a man named “anyone” and a woman named “no one” as they develop a profound love connection within their bucolic but incredibly alienated town. Digitally hand-drawn with thousands of Cel illustrations and dedicated to the late Jane Goodall, E.E. Cummings, and the director’s father, Yakov Kreizberg, the poem is a song of life, love, and death.

The beautiful hand-drawn animation is wonderfully illustrated and keeps the narrative engrossing, accompanied by a lovely narration from Jane Goodall. As the piece is dedicated to the late Yakov Kreizberg, who conducted the music featured throughout, the music is whimsical and pervades the narrative's uplifting spirit. While the premise is fairly simple, the narrative is an incredibly poignant tale of the power of love and connection between two individuals. The poetry paired with the animation can make it difficult to decipher specific narrative threads due to the complexity of its ideas and themes. Alongside this, the brisk pacing of the narrative structure can also be overwhelming to process; however, the narration ensures that the viewer is provided with enough context to understand the story’s implications at the surface level.

One of the most profound formal decisions is the use of visual storytelling to convey dreaming through illustration. The changing of seasons is another delightful illustration which is executed wonderfully. Its surreal and dream-like presentation may linger on viewers' minds long after the credits roll. The story and themes which the piece tackles are clearly made with a distinct love for the work of the artists involved and the source material. While it may be difficult to stay entirely on board with its dense material and overwhelming pace, it's a profound piece of filmmaking, delicately constructed.

It's a beautiful interpretation of the poetry, thanks to its evocative themes paired with the text, which fit together perfectly to deliver a dense and unforgettable illustration. While the story is emotionally overwhelming at times, it can be difficult to be wrapped up in its emotional power due to how quickly the piece concludes. This is an issue, however, which would be difficult to avoid when adapting a piece of poetry due to the length of the source material. That being said, the visuals and musical score still make the experience worthwhile despite its blistering pace and condensed runtime.

The evocative themes the piece briefly explores, such as life, love, and death, are tied to the central characters' arcs, bringing nuance and complexity to their journeys within the story. These themes may well resonate with the audience due to their prevalence in the human spirit, and the piece never alienates the viewer despite its vast and surreal presentation.

anyone lived in a pretty how town is a visually stunning piece, which pairs wonderful narration by Jane Goodall with gorgeous imagery to present a flawless illustration of a piece of poetry. Paying homage to a plethora of incredibly inspiring artists, the piece is anchored by its evocative themes and whimsical and heart-warming musical score.