Quest (1997)

Deep amidst an arid desert, a creature emerges from the sand craving some water. It has the shape of an human, but looks more like a mummy that has been rolling around in the hoover dust - and that could well explain it's thirst. There is an empty bottle nearby and we can all hear what sounds like the trickle of a stream nearby, so off we set across a terrain that seems to be made of paper and metal in search of a drink. Where is this place? What is this place? What chance this water is ever going to appear? Now, to be fair there are as many holes in what constitutes the plot as there are in the desert landscape, but the quality and charm of the stop-motion animation is really quite impressive. There are clear facial expressions, body contortions and by the end the whole production encourages you to go and get a drink yourself. Is is all a metaphor for life’s ongoing struggles? Possibly, but I don’t feel especially qualified to comment. It's certainly a cleverly crafted piece of work, though.