Essay Quiz #2 Extra Credit

How to "train" your dragon.

One of my favorite film shown in class was Co Hoedeman’s Tchou-Tchou. It is similar to the films I enjoy creating myself; animating toys through stop-motion. I thought it was really neat to see a wooden building-block world come to life where characters can re-create and invent blocks to form new objects. The characters themselves were entertaining to watch as well, with their quirky walk cycle and multi-dimensional faces. There are undeniable biblical correlations in Tchou-Tchou; there is a young boy and a girl in a utopian-type setting who confront a serpent. I like the direction Hoedeman takes this well-known bible story, as he doesn’t conclude the tale in an expected form. Instead of having the serpent successfully tempt the boy and girl and cause them to sin, the boy and girl discreetly alter the design of the serpent in the night, and turn him into a chou-chou train. This playful twist in the story is surprising, and it is hard not to just roll with it. The theme of play in Tchou-Tchou is present throughout the entire film, and I think that is the message Hoedeman was striving for. Tchou-Tchou is not meant to be complex or confusing, it’s meant to be a fun, simple story.