Lost Souls (CalArts Film 2022) 

i loved every part of it, it felt so special! the art style kind of reminds me of wolfwalkers and over the garden wall , it gives me cozy vibes. congratulations for such a beautiful film!

This must be Over the Garden Wall inspired, yes? The vibes are just as immaculate. You did a wonderful job, thanks for sharing it with us!

This is beautiful. For many years of my life, I shut myself away inside. Now in my mid 30's, I'm finally getting a driver's license, and am becoming a nurse so that I can help others who are hurting or unwell in some way. No one should ever have to feel so alone. Thank you for this deeply moving short film.

The voice actor did SUCH a good job!!

this is fantastic, i’m not sure how it only has 900 something views. i like how maltida’s stones represent milestones, coincidence or not. it reminds me of a book i read once, ‘hollow kingdom’, about a dead crow who’s alone and looking for signs of life in the abandoned land.

bro when the best friend stopped coming i was bawling my eyes out like broo-

Brought me to tears. What a beautiful film and what gentle storytelling. Your art easily pulls us into another world and it's so wonderful. Hope you are proud of all the hard work you put in because this was written so well and so beautiful to watch. Thank you for making it!!💗💕💕

This was amazing! I love your style and it’s such a heart-felt message! Beautiful film 😭

this is absurdly beautiful. i am literally sobbing

My sister died 2 years ago. I don't know if this was intended specifically to speak to people about being able to move on from the deaths of others, but it felt that way. crying a lot right now.

I cried the whole way through as soon as Walter left the music box. It reminds me of our own impermanence... a beautiful and scary thing both at once. I relate to everything Maurice goes through, as I have often felt like the self who I once was has passed. I am a lost soul with a dying fragments of memory of who that person was. I have lived in isolation for years. Thank you for helping to remind me of the beauty of connecting with others and making a new path for yourself. The art style is so lovely too, it feels like a storybook. I look forward to seeing what else you put out here in the future. 💐

In Vietnam we call our cemeteries “lonely towns” or “lonely cities”. I’d like to think ghosts thee treat each other like residents and do silly things together

I don’t know if this was your intention, but the use of stones at the grave reminded me a lot of Jewish tradition wherein we leave rocks at the graves we visit to remember them. Love this concept and your art style. Keep up the amazing work and you did awesome!!

I really wanted to cry yesterday but it just came so naturally while watching this. It hit so close to home. This is a great film. So warm and comforting to watch. ❤️

I just had multiple goosebump while watching the film also had a strong realization

I Need your story to become a Show for Reals! I LOVE IT!!!

Sweet and gorgeous. It is a lovely tale that could extend to introverts.

This feels like the pilot episode of a series I'd watch the heck out of. Beautifully animated, and the ending really warms the heart. ❤

why am i sobbing watching this after waking up??😩🤧

So many uunanswered questions! Why was Walter crying? What happened to his family when they died? Why are some lost souls and not others? Loved this film!

You know i had no ideal that people who make these animation are helping saving lost souls thank you all for being kind

What a beautiful film. I am the end of the line of several branches of my family and have ended up with all these photos, diaries, and letters from family collections going back 150 years. I keep them around me now, knowing I will someday join them after which, we may all be forgotten to the world, but not each other. Some people find it a bit macob, but I love my ghosts, and they bring me comfort. They are, after all, my family. That sentiment is reflected in your film, and I am appreciative of it. Well done.

Those kinds of losses happen in life. It's wise to recognise that, to pick up the pieces worth keeping, and to know when and how to move on.

This is so beautiful and heartwarming. It's funny how the colourful cute shorts are often so sad and heartbreaking, and the morbid or dark ones so sweet and uplifting. Well done for making this, and thank you so much for sharing. It has lifted my spirit for sure, and I really needed that.

This brought me more joy and peace than I’ve had in years, and made me cry in a way that healed. I wish I could thank every person who helped make this in person, as someone with depression and autism I’ve always felt like a lost soul even while alive, just trying to remember who I am and my focus. I really appreciate this I’m so happy to have found it. Thank you.

The most beautiful message I have heard in a long time, thank you.

This was beautifully done. I love everything about it. Sometimes in life you feel like you are a lost soul and I often wondered if I died I would be forever a lost soul. I raised as a Catholic and I supposed to believe in heaven and hell. I am not sure what to believe in anymore. I would like to think that our souls are forever and we can move through the universe back to the cosmos. If there is heaven, I would like to think it was forgiving.

This...did something to me. I can't even explain what I felt about the film it just made so speechless and it made me realize lots of things 😭 it made me cry

I love everything about this. The story, the animation and the message. I suppose we can all feel lost sometimes but then we’re reminded of the people and things that feed our soul and bring us joy.

I AM CRYING SO HARD RIGHT NOW I CANTTTT THIS IS THE BEST SHORT FILM EVERRR😭😭😭😭😭😭

such a beautiful animation! And also lovely heartwarming story to remind us that one of the most important keys when trying to keep moving forward in life is to be honest with ourselves, even when we feel lost! I hope you keep going with these stunning animations and whatever work you will be doing in the future! ^^

Really lovely story, narration and animation….thank you.

I love how his shadow was his grave during the sunset!

I would love to watch this as a mini series.

I really really dig the art style. It feels familiar and new at the same time, old-timey and fresh, very unique. This is beautiful, thank you. And much inspiration to you for your future projects! :-)

I am so in love with this story. I could tell it was going to be emotional from the title, but the animation style from the beginning was kind of deceptive in how emotional it would be. As we know, that is the beauty of animation. As soon as the dialogue started though I knew I was going to be hooked. It really does feel like the story of these lost souls, is almost like a reflection upon humanity itself. How we grow, change, lose contact with others and are trying to remember how things used to be and if that’s who we still wish to be, along with trying to find meaning in our futures. I think it’s safe to say a lot of people can connect to this story. Thank you so much for making it and hope it continues to get the attention it deserves.

Loved the amazing movie, touched my heart.. I miss my love from 2018.. The life after her death are very bad.. Thank you very much

i cried 3 times watching this

This was excellent work and unique. Definitely gave me Over the Garden Wall vibes. Wonderful work!

That was excellent! Thanks so much for sharing it online.

Coolest style I've seen in a very long time. Art like this needs to be made more often.

Thankyou thankyou and thankyou for sharing . Love Australia

U AMAZE ME!

This is wonderful, fascinating, and I would love to see a series based on this.

The soundtrack is beautiful

This made me cry. The message really resonated with me and I needed to hear this, thank you for sharing this wonderful animation!

This hit deep and made my eyes very watery

12 days hum? I think this will get recognition really soon, it's stunning.

Awww. 🤗 Love is Gravity Between Souls. 💗 Beautiful.

That was ABSOLUTELY ORIGINAL 🌞Loved it.

This is creativity , artistic ability is right here. This is the reason I love art this

Only living beings are lost souls and alone. The dead know nothing they cease to exist.

I hope this can be thruth . Very beautiful ,Thank you very much and have a nice day . 💙🌻👩‍🎨

I don't know if this was meant to be an allegory or anything.. but this is just profound to me.. Coming from living in my own little hidden cave after refusing to deal with loss and change. Having to make that painful step out into the big world to find yourself again. The line at 5:11 really hit home for me especially.

Why I'm crying 😢 people are forgetting about beloved people who died. We should visit them always.

This is one one of the most beautiful things ever made. A true work of art.

I hope these souls will soon learn to move on to their ancestors and then visiting as desired. They belong. We all do.

⚘️...wonderful message... lovely animation...due to its simplicity and honesty, it goes straight to the Heart. The amazing sensitivity of the creator...thank you very much...🌳💚🌳

Oh my goodness this film made tear up at the end. I believe we can be lost souls even when we are alive, where we feel 'stuck' or not knowing where to go. Meeting a person like Matilda can help us get out of that rut or even finding the inspiration ourselves.

Definitely a masterpiece, I feel so close to the characters, the music, and the art, it gives that nostalgic feeling, I don't know what I'm talking about but this is one of the best short movies I've ever watched.

Absolutely in love with the animation style, the message and the way you told the story! ❤️

Oh my heart! 💕 Thank you for reminding us lost souls still above the ground that life is worth chances and steps towards connections. 🤗

So heartbreaking and yet hopeful. Had been a long time since I had watched a short movie I enjoyed this much! Thanks to whoever created it

This is touchy! The world need more of this!! Thank you for showing this amazing film to this world

This is gorgeous. The animation is cozy and beautiful, the voice is calming, and the music is spot on. The story is wonderful. The orchestra is especially meaningful to me as I'm a cellist. This is amazing. :)

I love over the garden wall and its old New England inspiration, and while there are wonderful similarities, this is also very distinct/unique. Hoping to see more wonderful animations like it from you :)

The VA is calming, soothing, sad and emotional

True to my own circumstances more now than ever, and one I needed to hear. A profoundly lovely story with wonderful animations, bravo👏🏽💙💚.

This is suchhh a beautiful, strange,and unique concept. The art goes perfectly with it. A small thing that bothers me is that his voice sounds like an adult man instead of a little boy. This is all so sweet thought and I'm in love

Wonderfull short movie. And Meaningful!

has a very Over The Garden Wall meets Cartoon Saloon vibe

This is giving Cartoon saloon in the best way possible, its so beautiful! i loved it so much

A very touching story with beautifully paired animation. Thank you for sharing your creativity.

You've made a splendid short film! I love the art style, the voices, and music. It has the right balance of hopeful and melancholy. I love your approach to the ghosts and the afterlife, and how it doesnt use the tropes ghost stories can often fall into. It inspired me alot!

watching this gave me a sense of ease. I love how the animation is truly enough and it doesn’t have to be over the top character performance. It gave me a sense of relief and that I just have to create and not worry anymore. thank you

God knows how much I love this Remids me of old times

Thank you💖

This is just beautiful and so different. I’m really into genealogy and getting to know family who are long gone, because it keeps them alive in a way, for a little longer. This kind of illustrates the meaning behind it. I love it.

Your hard work paid off honestly! I *love* your style so much, the atmosphere you created was amazing. And i also relate the message. Beautiful film really 😭😭

This is everything 💚💙🤎🖤🤍

i'm bawling my eyes out omg

You can be a lost soul above ground too - on the internet, in a metaverse.

This was best ever so beautiful and amazing story and last was the awesome scene 🤍💕😀

The way I understood this great story, is to never forget the dead. You’ll forget who they were and how they were like if you stop visiting.

I hope I find another lost soul soon. I don’t like being alone.

What a journey!

my friend and i used to spend time in the cemetery visiting the old gravestones and cleaning them up as best we could. we would tear out the weeds and make sure the names could be read. then, we’d leave little flowers or rocks as a sort of gift. we never viewed the cemetery as something negative or sad. to us, it was a place to spend time together and learn about people and their pasts. this short film reminded me of those times and how happy i was. even if we didn’t know who they were, we made sure each grave looked nice. i feel like we kept those people’ memories alive, just a little bit. this was a lovely animation. thank you for sharing this story with us.

this is so beautiful and touching a lot I remember my best friend i never seen her for a month and I feel like I lost my self i need her to bring my self again 😔 congratulations for this film ......no this art✨❤️💞

What a wonderful metaphor for depression and trauma.

Beautiful!!! 😍🥰

There’s no words to describe how much I relate to that there’s no words

This is such a amazing little film !✨💕

I’m not entirely sure why, but this made me cry. A lot. I don’t even do that that much. Amazing art style by the way.

It made me cry ❤️

As someone who is struggling a lot right now... Thank you

Wow what a great short film!! I absolutely love the style and the message was really comforting

Bittersweet in it's wisdom and beauty. Well done!

stooooop you made me cry, I love this

I love it!!!! So much!!! I moved into a new country, i feel so alone. I desperately try to cling on to all the fun things me and my friends used to do... but i need to accept that things cant go back to the way it used to be..

WHY IS THIS NOT BLOWN UP?!!!!!!!