Original animated short film Valley of White Birds 

I think the creators of this animated short film try to make the story unclear on purpose, so audiences will think it over and have their own understanding. I have read some reviews in Chinese forum. I found one explanation kind of make sense to me. The looming little boy is the younger version of the young man. Wooden fish is a symbol of faith or belief of the little boy. The young man surprisingly found that what he believed before is wrong or has been used by dark force. He realized that he must kill those toxic, evil belief in order to reborn or get back a peaceful world, so he destroyed the giant wooden fish which has been controlled by the evil huge bird. It's really painful to wipe out what you used to believe or love, so both the little boy and the young man cry.

I have no idea what is going on but this is the one of the most beautiful things I have seen and it still stirred my soul.

This reminds me of how Roger Ebert talks about the "empty spaces", the moments where nothing "seems" to happen, in Spirited away. He spoke to Miyazaki, and he said: "The people who make the movies are scared of silence, so they want to paper and plaster it over. They're worried that the audience will get bored. But just because it's 80 percent intense all the time doesn't mean the kids are going to bless you with their concentration. What really matters is the underlying emotions--that you never let go of those. " Hollywood, and honestly, cinema as a whole, has become SO fucking scared of silence. But I believe silence is as necessary in stories as it is in music. If you don't have silence, you don't have structure. You don't have build up. You just have noise. I love how the short doesn't explain anything. In fact, I believe it is because it doesn't explain anything that it is so engrossing. It pulls you in not only through a well-developed atmosphere, but because you "want" to know what's going on, and because they're not talking, so you have to pay attention. The story is very symbolic. I'm not going to give my interpretation because there's already a lot of comments with that. I just wanted to point out that I love these stories, that take their times, and that, contrary to what people might think, they're usually more interesting than all of those info-dump movies we're so used to watching. And these kinds of stories are all the more richer because you can watch again, and find new meanings every time. What a great short film :')

FOR ME it was about that your biggest enemy is yourself. You can see him in many forms: as a child (the past you are running from) an old man (the future you are afraid of) or even an abstract physical monster. The moment when he destroys the statue he accepts his past and becouse of it he stops being scared of the future. And becouse he is freed from the fears he had he stops being the man before.

For me, the white bird represented his childhood want.. something which attracted him as a child. As a child it was an innocent want, like a shiny bauble. As a young man, he chased the bird with arrogance of the youth. He did not respect the bird. It was an object to be owned. He killed whatever stood in his way. The old man understood that we cannot own anything. He understood the meaning of life and respected the bird and the bird responded back. He could have enjoyed the company of the bird if he used a more respectful and humble attitude. Death is inevitable. It's how you choose to live your life that matters.

The colors of the landscape are breathtakingly beautiful, and the story is mesmerizing..

I think the white bird represents luck. The main man is running out of luck. He pursues it. He believes in it. But when he touches it it turns into dead leaves. The old man represents onions. He has a small posture and round features. His hat is an onion-basket upside down. That is why the breath of the beast is blue. It signifies the sorrow he feels whenever things are turned on their head. Sky becomes water, water becomes sky. In the finale we see tears running over the main man's cheeks after a great cut in the rock. This hits home hard the message that cutting onions makes you cry.

The backgrounds are so good!

Often it seems animations have ambiguous meanings. If I had to give it meaning maybe it's Grief visualized? There's the young boy the old man and the young man who I assume are the same person that represent 3 points in time. The young boy realizing something The young man acting on something and regretting it as he transitions into the old man who has grown from his poor actions. In the end the man never truly forgave himself for his actions, I think the stone statue he becomes is a metaphor for this. That's my interpretation.

The most outstanding short animated film I have seen in a very long time. Hauntingly beautiful. Every frame a visual feast. Stunning!

Один-два раза в год, обязательно натыкаюсь на этот ролик. И каждый раз смотрю с замиранием! Только сейчас, когда проффесионально занялась рисованием, понял, что каждый кадр, покрайней мере фон кадров - отрисован в ручную, что создаёт эту прекрасную атмосферу! Свет, контраст света и тени! Мои глаза просто ликуют, когда я смотрю это, я полагаю, все таки аниме. Эта небольшая работа прекрасна тем, какая она короткая, но чувственная. Художник позволяет трактовать свободно и по разному глубоко эту работу. Хочу поблагодарить аниматора и художника этой работы! Спасибо вам огромное за ваш труд! Ваше творение прекрасно! Как и звуковое сопровождение 🧡💚☀️

A classic example of a tale that tells itself. Sometimes, the story must speak for itself instead of someone telling it. As a wise man once said, "Many of the truths we cling to, depend on our own points of view".

This coment has SPOILERS So, my best guess is that the birds represent the way the character perceives a belief or faith in something positive, like kindness or love, but due to the religious icons, probably it’s about that. In the end it shows that the three characters, the child, the young and the old one, are one and the same, but I also believe they are different. I mean, they represent a repetitive cycle of three generations affecting each other, while showing the same character going through al three. So the children holds to this belief, and the old one accept it, but the young is rebellious towards it, and rejects it as meaningless first, but, the more he does, the more negative it looks, finally seeing it as a toxic monster he tries to take down. In a moment of doubt he gives it a try, one more time, but fails, so angered, tries attacking it with all his might. When, at the end, he realises the damage he caused, he regrets it and start walking the old man path… but seeing the same damage is that the children begins to lose his faith, and start walking the young man path. Probably understanding the mystic icons here would cast a better light on the true meaning here, but I’m clueless about that. Sorry for my crappy English. Hopefully it was understandable enough.

it's very rare to see chinese films using this kind of art style! it reminded me a little bit of song of the sea. astonishing colours and animation, also 10/10 for the music! i wish there were more movies like this today

It is so beautiful that I watched it several times. I think In the beginning we saw the wooden statue already broken, so I am guessing the young man had flashbacks because of the old hermit spirit. So we see how as a kid he used to pray to that wooden statue, which inhabits this foxbird god. I believe the white birds are prayers or wishes he made as a kid. He sees the god now but thinks it's bad. A bird sits on his hand but turns black, the hermit reappears with the swarm of black birds. So the young man thinks the hermit is bad, too. He attacks him, but cuts down the statue instead and with that he also cut down his childhood dreams and hopes without which he would not have become the person he is now. At first I thought the hermit is him in the future, but the eyes and nose are too different. And maybe the young man was dead all along and this was just his journey to accepting it. Very well done film. Every time I watched it, I discovered something new I didn't notice before.

This could become an entire animated movie, without any speech, no words to be told, and still, it would be an incredible and some how touching expirience to have

One of the most beautiful animations I have ever seen.

This is masterpiece, why doesnt this have billions of views?

Well, with or without any meaning or story, this is certainly stunningly beautiful. Like, eyeball massage.

So beautifully animated, it literally wordy cures my mind. Kinda therapeutic. Reassuring peacefully made without any dialogues and still understanding the actual context of all of it

Gorgeous artstyle and animation! It fills my heart with joy to see awesome works like this coming from China. Looking forward to more projects by Wolfsmoke and Cloud Yang in the future!

When faced with fear of time itself we must cherish our past and live our present, so that we could have our future. In a fight against our own mortality we must never forget our existence influences other lives as well.

OMG this animation is so beautiful,.... awesome!

The best cartoon to watch while on low dose shrooms it changes your mind.

Absolutely beautiful. The backgrounds, characters, everything! The story obviously has deeper meaning that not many people understand, but i think that this adds to the beauty. Everyone can understand and take what they want from it.

Getting serious Mushishi vibes from this. Awesome work.

It looks like a Ghibli Movie. Very well done! You did a great job! ^^

Wow, this is a short film that I spent over 2 hours watching, rewinding to catch all the beautiful details. Such a stunning piece of work! Thank you, Chong Zuo Dao You Studio!

The music is beautiful in this! Not to mention everthing else! Thank you for sharing!

This is what the story seemed to me. The young man, the old man and the child are one. The present is of the young man, and can be related to anyone of that age. He is restless, when the little birds are dying, he feels the need to do something about it. The large bird represents a sort of idea, and it uniting with the large wooden fish is the faith which the child and older man share. The young man in his restlessness believes both of them to be wrong, he only sees what is apparent to him, that the large bird is evil, and decides to harm the wooden fish. After the harm is done, he realized what was apparent is not always the case as he faces defeat against himself. In the end, the young bird emerging shows that a new idea is about to reach someone else. It's something like, as a kid we see the world as we wish to see it, there is no limits to the openness of our mind. We believe the bird may be something good. As a young adult, our minds and hearts are narrowed down by logic, societal customs and consequences of our decisions. Once we become lot older, our mind begins to open up again, we become strong enough to break free and let it open. We can hope again the bird might bring something good. But the damage which one does as an adult will be felt the greatest...by both the child in us and once we become old...

i find the stories i dont understand the most captivating, especially as poetic as this one

I first saw this in July of 2019. I was stunned by its enigmatic beauty. I've watched it at least once a week since then. I hope that one day I'll begin to understand its message, despite my ignorance. Regardless of my understanding or lack thereof, I come away from it feeling relaxed and refreshed. Thank you Wolf Smoke!

Who's here after watching Seraphine :P Also, this animation is downright gorgeous!!

You guys have a wide range of taste, 2 girls fighting in the market and this. I enjoy watching sides the brain working. Keep it up. Thank you.

My theory is: the three characters are the same, the older represents the future, the younger the past and the main character maybe the present. The wooden fish is the bad things that he made in the past, and now he is trying to forgive himself. When he destroy (or forgive) the bad things the older man disappears, because he doesn't meant to be that way in the future anymore. (I don't know if it makes any sense)

These short films are so amazing...they have me laughing...this one made me have happy tears....inspirational

Wisdom and an open heart protects the bitter destruction of childhood innocence and wonder that is found in nature and in the little things.

Plot... Mankind comes to an amazing place with anymal energy communication morphology and all the little lights tell story's of long gone history's and sages... And man kills it

The animation is stunning and the sound design is equally as beautiful

didn't understand it all either, BUT it moved me and stayed with me, SO I know the value of the film went beyond linear understanding. Interesting that the protagonist was not a hero, that was cool.

This was absolutely beautiful! I loved every bit of it, even if I was confused about the story. Congrats for the awards, it is well deserved!!

Our innocence. How we become hard, mean n angry as we get older. Forget our innocence, allowing the world to hurt us. But in the end, there is always hope.

A mind boggling mystery involving males in three different age groups and birds who can fly or glide or do the disappearing act. 😧😲😳

I feel so speechless and so thankful to be able to see this astonishing creation Thank you ♥

Very Stanley Kubrick in style! Love it. For me I think the story is about a man that as a child went to the valley (which is a place of illusions where time is distorted) to admire and/or worship these beautiful creatures. As an adult though he believes that these are a force of evil that must be kept in check. Whether he is right or wrong is ambiguous.

Quel formidable film, d'une beauté à couper le souffle. Un travail d'une grande sensibiité. Bravo ! What a wonderful film, so beautiful. a very sensitive work. Bravo !

The flow & transition of colors, scenery & details are mesmerizing. In touch with traditional art given new life! Wow!! It gave me visualization of conflict & want of peace in my life. Thoughts & feelings to act upon or react to. Being distant from others and times myself when dealing with a new normal. The death of beautiful things as I try to be compassionate not letting my guard down from kindness. But always looming ominous presence being chased, hated, admired confronted...identified.. Am I no different?... More to contemplate.. 2020 will pass, but I wish to go on.

As other viewers, I am somewhat confused by meaning, yet the visuals of this video are wonderful as others. Will continue to watch and enjoy these unique works!

So beautiful, so subtle and multifaceted! I’m seeing many different reactions in the comment section, it’s great to see everyone taking something different from this gorgeous short film!

I noticed his anger and the symbolism that represents light and dark forces such as the opposing forces of the universe Yin Yang. I am baffled like many to understand it's illustrations and how they inspire the philosophy and the mysticism of the orient. Like always I am drawn to serenity and tranquility of it. Its beauty and eloquence as old as its culture... Amitifuo The monk had found harmony. Yet the man had become jaded likely because the village he grew up in as a boy was a paradise. He has lost his sense of beauty and tranquility. The dark forces consumed him and he destroys all he touches.

The artwork is exquisite. Nearly every scene is a picture worth saving in itself. .

It must be based on some folklore,I made out that the things which we adore believe in our childhood stop making sense to us in our adulthood and we start despising them. But later when our ambition , greed wears us of we try to get back back to where we started. There is no black bird but it looked black to the young man,wooden bird never broke but it symbolizes the beliefs and ethics which broke.This made the boy depressed as the wooden bird he carried he lost it in the pursuits of growing up and being a part of the society which takes the best from you.Old man is his future but he could not fight him because its ought to happen.

Wow, amazing. You did a fabulous job🎶🎹🎶🎹🎶🎹👍👍👍

Excellent designs, gorgeous background, beautiful story and music... Such a pity why can't we have more handdrawn animated movies as good as this short in theaters anymore !

Best. Short. Ever. Should be on a blu ray release

What beautiful animation! The colors are so brilliant!

10:17 Me: WHOA SOKKA CAN WATERBEND TOO

No words! This will stay with me forever!

Beautiful art and the colors are awe-inspiring. WOW

one of the most gorgeous films I have ever witnessed...thank you so much for sharing this precious gem

Лучшая анимация о самсаре, которую я видела.

Отличный мульт по замыслу и по исполнению. Интересно отгадывать.

its deserve more view.the story and art were amazing

The whole thing is beautiful and I love the way it’s open to interpretations giving you room to relate to the story. I didn’t understand it at first but reading different peoples ideas helped me find my own which makes sense to me. The idea that the fish statue and the fox bird are a god/religion the young man used to believe in and follow, but as the boy grows older he realises what he believed is was wrong or bad, this than makes the white birds being prayers and explains why he would strike one down due to him not believing in them anymore, when he returns to what could have been his childhood home. The little boy being his younger self, the scene when the little boy being covered in black birds could have symbolised the child being make to follow the belief . There’s so much more you can take from the movie this is just what I found makes sense to me .

IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS EVERYWHERE LMAO THANK THE LORD BABY JESUS I FOUND THIS

One of the most beautiful Animation I have ever seen.

I absolutely adore this film and I have since the first time I saw it.

It feels like the older self is destroying the dreams of his younger self even though it kills him to do it.

the world can learn from such things it's not just about your voice its truly seeing what is, was and what may or may not b ❤️

One of the most astethic and confusing things I've seehn in my whole life so far. Really beautiful to watch

Just watched this, omg the visual story telling wow just amazing, the score sounds so hauntingly beautiful. This is art.

GORGEOUS background art!

Absolutely beautiful, but I'm a little unsure what the story was about. So there's a nature spirit represented by the white birds. Since the spirit has become corrupted, the monk has come to kill the infected parts before it spreads to the rest. The monk used to live in the nearby village that worshipped the spirit, but made a mistake when he was younger that led to the spirit getting corrupted in the first place. And the hermit (who was also the vision of the younger monk) is also a part of the corrupted spirit? Is there some cultural context I'm missing? Can someone help me understand if I'm getting this right?

ანიმაცია კი არა საოცარი ფერწერაა, ბრავო! ❤ beautiful watercolor.

This is such a gorgeous animation. The color palette is beautiful and the composition of shots are engaging. I love the character design as well!

I think that he became the new diety by correcting his wrong... and the young boy and the old man were consumed by the same thought and emotions... but the young man saw his mistake... hence once he's done penance... he becomes a guardian... setting the first spirit free... just guessing

This is absolutly beautiful. There are no other word for it.

Beautiful short! I saved it in my favs to watch a couple more times. I'm enthralled with Asian culture and you captured it beautifully. I'll definitely be looking for more!

This kind of reminds me of Samurai Jack, my favorite show when I was a kid.

THIS IS- beautiful, so well made with such care and hard work! The audio is really what I love the most, fitting the scenes and getting mood through so well. UGH, GREAT JOB!

Human's child spirit never lost.

Fantastic, The way I can relate is our subtle fight between chaos and self-discovery. I enjoyed it, thank you.

Life is full of illusions like a village of white birds. The appearance is white, pure, and holly, but when you encounter it is like leaf, fragile, and meaningless. As a human we are chase for things that we cannot grab. Young child, young man, and old adult are alike. We are have curiosity, but once we had it, reality will reveal. Then, we will throw it away, then chase a new thing again. Sometimes thing you enconter are nice, but sometime it carry evil spirit like the black bird. As a human, we are surrounded by good and bad. Good and bad are co exist, but cannot United. The battle continues until you are old. For a human, we are exist in many form through life. Therefore, young child, young man, and old adult are existing through all stage of life. Moreover, we are driven and move forward by a force. That is why the young man and young boy chasing the tail of there force. They will not stop until they it is reveal or turn on. Very persistent. Good movie

Beautiful!!! Thank you for creating and sharing this wonderful work of art.

That's inspiring..!!! A short insight in our original self, our beginning, our spirtuallity & in our purity as well... & How all of these get destroy by black powers of the world and we finally moves toward our end with alot of reminiscents of our pure and inspiring childhood... This film really moves us from inside!!

Oh what beautiful colours

A beautiful story of life. the valley is a path of life which ends to the death. White birds are our days of life that pass by and we kill them by ignoring their value. the old man, the young man, and the child are different stages of us. The big bird is our life that passes through the valley and finally reaches the last stage of life - a broken wooden statue at the end of the bridge. The young man tries to catch the life bird with two symbolic black and white tokens that become two big snakes which possibly represent wealth and power but there is no chance to stop the life from achieving to the end.

I saw it as the path to adulthood and accepting things as is. The beginning foretold that the was obvious something dark he was carrying around with him. Something about himself that he couldn’t forgive or accept. The old man was enlightened and I believe that he wanted to show him, that there is beauty in everything and that we are all one. I believe being the young man that he is, became callous to things as such and projected darkness into the reality. Thus coming to destroy himself and the forest. It’s a sad but beautiful thought.

Wonderfully done! Loved the artistic backgrounds

Whoa. The art is SO beautiful! I'm loving every minute. This is so captivating.

Amazingly beautiful. Love it ♡ It's like a mix of studio ghibli, avatar, n naruto style in it. Well done

In the comics, a storyline was introduced. The big white bird is the bird queen who has saved the boy in his childhood. This turned his blood blue with miraculous healing power, just the the bird queen itself. People began to hunt for them both for their blood. The master told the boy that the only way out was to kill the bird which saved him...

somebody please hire this guys to make animation on Netflix...

I absolutely adore this visual style! What a beautiful film

Love the music and animation is visually stunning. Amazing.

A masterpiece of Imagination❤❤

Pure beauty ! I love this film !

Absolutely stunning. The art is one of the best I've ever seen.

I can't stop crying atm, my heart can't take it, it's too overwhelming, too overwhelming.

Great colorful animations. Confused but it's awesome anyway. It got my attention too.