With a few simple, hand-drawn lines in his trademark charcoal and pastel, acclaimed animator Naoyuki Tsuji creates a distinctive universe that is at once tender and horrible. Included are all the elements of a fractured fairy tale for adults: clouds come alive in the sky; an escape becomes a terrifying journey; characters transform into animals; a man with a deranged face terrorizes his family and devours his children. What first appears to be childlike crudeness in his animation is actually subtle, strange, and even uncanny. Tsuji s films captivate us because they are vague recollections of beguiling childhood dreams and memories the wonder of the puppet show, the mystery of clouds, or the attraction of monsters.