When Simba’s father, Mufasa, died in The Lion King, I remember burying my head in my grandmas lap wondering what the hell was going on. Why would a movie be going out of its way to depress me? What it showed though was that the idea of loss is translatable and relatable to a child, even when the character is about as far from “human” and reality as you can get.
Pixar recently pulled off the idea of loss better than I’ve ever seen in a antimated film. I’m talking of course about Up, which I saw in the exact same cinema where I saw The Lion King 16 years ago… except this time I didn’t have my grandma there to wipe away the tears. The concept of loss is no less relatable than it was when I was a child – and in the odd instance, no less emotional.
Tim Watts, in his production “The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer”, now playing as part of Sydney Festival, has captured on this notion quite beautifully – with a simple story of love and loss (and adventure) that will connect with audiences young and old.
At its heart, the 45 minute show is very much a Pixar-esque escapade, with Tim bleeding the line between reality, animation and puppetry – using a Wiimote as his magic wand, controlling the stage enironment. He uses music to quite a special effect too – with some live ukelele and guitar, as well as plenty of vocal effects, a few classic love ballads and what I believe was the score to Edward Scissorhands.
The story is quite simple – though timely. In a post apocalyptic world, where floods have ravaged the earth, a young man and his wife survive and are wed – however, it’s not long before she falls ill and passes away. Her “soul” – or whatever you’d like to interpret it as – is represented as a glowing ball of light, which falls into the ocean. And, one thing leads to another, and we’re sent on an undersea adventure to unite with the ball of light, and save the world in the process.
What follows is the presentation of a character not far removed from “Wall-E” – a playful, curious and entertaining “Deep Sea Explorer”, whose limited language and quest for the soul of his love is as heartwarming as it is enjoyable. Much like the classics of Disney, there are a couple of sappy moments – but this is played on with a humorous tongue.
Tim’s use of the space is where the creativity comes into play – the mix of light, projections and puppetry creates an environment you very much feel a part of. You can’t help but get swept up in it all – no pun intended.
In short, and to avoid giving much more away, the show was truly brilliant. A moving spectacle which at times gives PIXAR a run for their money, Tim Watts and his little deep sea explorer have brought something very special to the Sydney Festival stage.
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer continues at the Seymour Downstairs Theatre until Sunday, as part of the About an Hour series. Tickets, if available, are $30 and HERE.
