Wrake stumbled upon the ‘50s educational stickers that inspired the film. He was struck by the innocence of the time they represented and thought it’d be interesting to show the characters grown up.

With the concept in place, Wrake then scanned the original illustrations into Photoshop and laid them into movable body parts, and animated in After Effects.

We love to mock and scorn old educational films (in the mid-1990s, I stumbled upon a horde of old 16mm educational films that dealt with proper social etiquette, work behavior, etc… I screened the films at a local bar and people loved them in this ironic, detached way) or innocent creations like Dick and Jane. Is it because we’ve become a cynical generation that has lost touch with rituals or just a symptom — whatever the era — of becoming an adult and losing that childhood innocence and naivety?

“I guess in every age,” says Wrake, “what has gone before is treated as somehow less important/relevant than the present culture by the majority of people. Often true, so much culture is intrinsically linked to the events and mindset of its time. However, the human condition never really changes at its most fundamental level, which is why the paintings of the Renaissance or the music of Mozart are as relevant today as they were in their time.

“We may think we are more advanced because we have cars with sat nav, computers and endless TV channels, but emotionally we are the same as ever.”

Wrake, though, was less interested in scorning the past, but rather placing them within the realities of the modern world. “In an age where the slow exhaustion of resources by an ever expanding population is becoming an inevitable reality, the simple nature of the illustrations and their content, and the world they represent, don’t seem so foolish.

The effectiveness and uniqueness of Rabbit stems from the clash between Higham’s righteous dream world and the truth of human nature; we know that such a virtuous world doesn’t and can’t exist.

We laugh, but it’s really quite sad.

The best we have are moments.

S’all.

Chris Robinson has been with the Ottawa International Animation Festival since 1991. A noted animation critic, curator and historian, he has become a leading expert on Canadian and international independent animation. His acclaimed OIAF programming has been regarded as both thoughtful and provocative. In May 2004, Robinson was the recipient of the President’s Award given by the New York chapter of animators for contributions to the promotion of independent animation.

His books include Between Genius and Utter Illiteracy: A Story of Estonian Animation, Ottawa Senators: Great Stories from the NHL’s First Dynasty, Unsung Heroes of Animation, Great Left Wingers and Stole This From a Hockey Card: A Philosophy of Hockey, Doug Harvey, Identity & Booze.

An anthology of Robinson’s Animation Pimp columns will be published in 2006. He is working on Fathers of Night, a novel about angels, devils and everything in-between. Robinson lives in Ottawa with his wife, Kelly and sons Jarvis and Harrison.