An animated short film released in 2016 that is 68 minutes in length and deals with childhood trauma.
The main character, Icare (French for Icarus), who is nicknamed Zucchini by his single, alcoholic, abusive mother, accidentally causes her death and becomes an orphan who is sent to live in a foster home with other troubled children.
The movie allows these children to express their feelings of pure loss and trauma, their loneliness and isolation from their families, and their attempts to build connection with each other. The home and movie are salted with some very caring, brave adults who provide these kids with the acceptance and stability each never experienced within their dysfunctional family system.
Icare (Zucchini) builds familial connections with the other children in the group home, including a caring police officer. That relationship showcases how resiliency grows, and reminds us how one caring adult can make all the difference in a child’s life. This relationship mirrors Icare’s own ability to connect and build loving relationships with his peers.
Despite its heavy subject matter, the movie’s gentle handling of tough childhood trauma topics, focus on the emotional needs of the children who have been abandoned or orphaned (emphasized by the size of the eyes and faces of the children to allow the emotions of each to take center stage), help connect the viewer and draw them into the story. There is humor and adventure to help balance out the dark subject matter (think water balloons and snowball fights). The movie is simple, low-budget, and carries important societal messages that kids will be able to relate to, and adults (whether a parent, a person who works with children, or an adult who has childhood trauma wounds to heal) will learn something too.
The movie is available for purchase from Amazon.com and is currently available to stream on iTunes, YouTube, Amazon Video, Vudu, and Google Play. It was nominated for an Academy Award (2017) for Best Animated Feature Film (but did not win).
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