Watch Kids' Reviews of
DISAPPEARING JEWELS

I loved Disappearing Jewels enough to watch it twice, that's how much I marveled at it! Choosing to do the animation as a series of flowing watercolor illustrations underpins the subject of consequences to marine life as a result of augmented patterns of warming weather amplified by human patterns of behavior. The narrator briefly introduces his subject matter by opening with a description of his grandfather, and then he removes himself to let the story tell itself through his artful presentation of scientific material gathered from experts in the arena of marine climate...nothing preachy, just objective data analysis coupled with a sincere passion for sea life, and life on this planet in general. Most importantly, this piece not only presents a clear view of consequences, but also offers solutions -- small things every person can contribute, as well as using our collective economic and political power to effect change now before things worsen.

The narrator, Will Kim, introduces the audience to his blind grandfather, who had an uncannily accurate understanding of worsening weather patterns, and then weaves together testimony of scientific experts to explain consequences on marine life and our future relationship it.

The science is not dumbed down in any way; rather, the experts explain facts in a non-condescending way that kids can get a sense of, even if they are on the younger end of the scale. The watercolor visuals and their graceful flow is stunning, enchanting, and invites the audience to swim along in the presentation. It is truly gorgeous and breathtaking. The instrumental music, mostly Korean style, calls attention to the story rather than to itself, and is aesthetically integrated. The speakers let their sincere concern and expertise shine when presenting their knowledge. The narrator steps out of the limelight and lets their content prevail.

The opening and closing scenes function like a necklace that is opened and then clasped -- we learn about the narrator's grandfather to set the opening scene, and then we see the narrator standing on the beach, wishing that his grandfather could be there to "see" how much he has learned from him. In a beautiful way, his grandfather is also a "disappearing jewel." There's a deeply embedded motif of blindness and sightedness in this film. It starts with one expert saying how much she loves cuttlefish because they are colorblind yet change colors expertly to match their environment. There are multitudes of subtle references to things so small they can barely be seen but have an enormous effect on the largest creatures and populations on earth. It invites the audience to see things as they are, not to be intentionally blind to what we have done to damage the environment. Near the end, one expert invites the audience to go outside, to feel and see beautiful things small and large for themselves. This would be glorious on the big screen; it would feel like you are in the ocean among all the moving watercolor images.

The film's message is to adjust our vision to 20/20 perspective of where we are in relationship to climate change and do what we can to practice good stewardship of our Earth.

I give Disappearing Jewels 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18, plus adults. It provides an opening for kids and adults to talk with each other about what they've learned, and what they might want to do with that knowledge. By Debra L., KIDS FIRST!

I loved Disappearing Jewels enough to watch it twice, that's how much I marveled at it! Choosing to do the animation as a series of flowing watercolor illustrations underpins the subject of consequences to marine life as a result of augmented patterns of warming weather amplified by human patterns of behavior. The narrator briefly introduces his subject matter by opening with a description of his grandfather, and then he removes himself to let the story tell itself through his artful presentation of scientific material gathered from experts in the arena of marine climate...nothing preachy, just objective data analysis coupled with a sincere passion for sea life, and life on this planet in general. Most importantly, this piece not only presents a clear view of consequences, but also offers solutions -- small things every person can contribute, as well as using our collective economic and political power to effect change now before things worsen.

The narrator, Will Kim, introduces the audience to his blind grandfather, who had an uncannily accurate understanding of worsening weather patterns, and then weaves together testimony of scientific experts to explain consequences on marine life and our future relationship it.

The science is not dumbed down in any way; rather, the experts explain facts in a non-condescending way that kids can get a sense of, even if they are on the younger end of the scale. The watercolor visuals and their graceful flow is stunning, enchanting, and invites the audience to swim along in the presentation. It is truly gorgeous and breathtaking. The instrumental music, mostly Korean style, calls attention to the story rather than to itself, and is aesthetically integrated. The speakers let their sincere concern and expertise shine when presenting their knowledge. The narrator steps out of the limelight and lets their content prevail.

The opening and closing scenes function like a necklace that is opened and then clasped -- we learn about the narrator's grandfather to set the opening scene, and then we see the narrator standing on the beach, wishing that his grandfather could be there to "see" how much he has learned from him. In a beautiful way, his grandfather is also a "disappearing jewel." There's a deeply embedded motif of blindness and sightedness in this film. It starts with one expert saying how much she loves cuttlefish because they are colorblind yet change colors expertly to match their environment. There are multitudes of subtle references to things so small they can barely be seen but have an enormous effect on the largest creatures and populations on earth. It invites the audience to see things as they are, not to be intentionally blind to what we have done to damage the environment. Near the end, one expert invites the audience to go outside, to feel and see beautiful things small and large for themselves. This would be glorious on the big screen; it would feel like you are in the ocean among all the moving watercolor images.

The film's message is to adjust our vision to 20/20 perspective of where we are in relationship to climate change and do what we can to practice good stewardship of our Earth.

I give Disappearing Jewels 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18, plus adults. It provides an opening for kids and adults to talk with each other about what they've learned, and what they might want to do with that knowledge. By Debra L., KIDS FIRST!

Remembering the filmmaker's grandfather who was a blind man and walking weather forecast, Will Kim interviews ocean experts and brings his perspective on the impact of climate change and ocean warming.