Monk learns a thing or two from a tiny little green critter. Way of the Mantis is a beautiful animation short that showcases the story of a Chinese monk that learns a valuable lesson from a tiny friend. The entire film is rendered in a traditional brushpainted style which sets the mood perfectly.
The film was done as a thesis animation by Joe Daniels and Jedidiah Mitchell. It is definitely a nice little animation film to watch; all 6 minutes of it would be worth your time.
The film is very interesting since the animation is made to look like it was an old Chinese painting. The primary character is a hotheaded monk that can’t seen to sit still or have the patience to learn things the traditional way. During his training, he realizes a crucial lesson from a tiny little praying mantis.
The Way of the Mantis was initially done as a thesis project by Joe Daniels and Jedidiah Mitchell for their study in RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology Film/Animation School.) The short animation features really clean work and has a really good sound to go with it. The action scenes are pretty well animated and quite believable. Moreover, you get to experience the truthfulness and see the evolution of the young monk into a mature student.
Related Links:
Way of the Mantis on Internet Archive
Joe Daniels on Vimeo
Way of the Mantis Blog
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