In a mere eight minutes, Cleto Acosta-McKillop crafts a beautifully realized, meaningfully told film grounded within a familiar but not always completely understood Japanese practice to tell a dialogue-free story where the visuals bring the story to life in a rather glorious way. 

Kintsugi comes from the award-winning team behind Moon Melody and centers around a traditional Japanese good luck cat. a simple yet dignified cat at a simple yet seemingly beloved ramen restaurant. Things begin to change for the cat when a newer and shinier cat moves in next door with its glossy black and shiny neon. Suddenly, our earth-toned, worn, and fractured cat pales in comparison to everything the newer cat has to offer. Watching this cat journey through this experience and into an adventure that vividly brings this story to life is a profound experience. 

Kintsugi is a children's fantasy, a modestly budgeted animated short from Milwaukee-based animation studio Sugar Animation Studios that soars on the strength of its handdrawn 2D animation, original music by Sergio de la Puente, and an inspired sound design by Dante Fumo. Animation, perhaps more than most film genres, has always realized that a perfectly told story can certainly be dialogue-free and that's certainly what unfolds in this simple, magical tale with messages that I'm confident children will understand and embrace. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic