War of the Birds

A bad bird who breaks the peace of the forest attacks the nest of two wrens and destroys all their eggs but one. The chick that hatches from the one left is taken in and raised by an owl. The other dwellers of the forest, joined by a seagull, two mice and a sparrow, begin to act together against the attacker. There is a love story inside the account as well, and the music draws on jazz. The film speaks to children, but it keeps fear and loss inside the account too. The drawing is kept simple and the forest itself is used like a character. The account separates good and bad sharply, yet it also asks why the bad one is bad. Jannik Hastrup’s sixty eight minute Danish animated film was completed in 1990.