Flower Found! - Award-winning Animation about Mistaken Identity and Mob Hysteria

A case of mistaken identity has seriously unpleasant consequences in this unsettling arboreal tale that might or might not be a parable of our times. When a special flower unaccountably goes missing, an ever-growing group of animals sets off in pursuit of the purloined bloom, but, as is often the case, the best intentions lead only to unforeseen catastrophe.
Story, design, direction and animation by Jorn Leeuwerink (aapje.net)
Music by Bryan Teoh (bryanteoh.com)
Backgrounds by Myra Emmen Riedel (myra.emmenried...)
Distribution by Ron Diamond (animationshowo...)
Special thanks to Roelof van den Bergh, Egbert de Ruiter, Sijbren Schenkels
Made at the HKU University of the Arts Utrecht in 2017
Official Short of the Week premiere!
Winner of 16 international awards and selected at over 66 festivals!
Flower Found! has screened at Cannes, Annecy, Animafest Zagreb, Hiroshima, ITFS, OIAF among many others. It has also been part of the 20th Animation Show of Shows and received acclaim from The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Hollywood Reporter.
Awards:
Best Animated Student Short (powered by Cartoon Network)
KLIK Amsterdam Animation Festival 2017, The Netherlands
Award for Best Student Short Film
Anima: The Brussels Animation Film Festival 2019, Belgium
Jury's Special Award
New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival 2018, Japan
Grand Prix of Student Short Films Competition
Taichung International Animation Festival 2018, Taiwan
The Debyutoria Prize (best of the international competition, young animation)
Insomnia International Animation Film Festival 2018, Russia
Best Student Animation
Anibar International Animation Festival 2018, Kosovo
1st Prize of the Jury in International Shortfilm Competition
Monstronale Festival 2018, Germany
Best Student Film
European Animated Film Festival Balkanima 2018, Serbia
Animation Grand Prix
Kyoto International Student Film & Video Festival 2018, Japan
Animation Audience Award
Kyoto International Student Film & Video Festival 2018, Japan
2nd Prize in Student Competition
Athens Animfest 2018, Greece
Jury's Special Prize Student Films Competition
Animakom 2018, Spain
Audience Award
Turku Animated Film Festival 2018, Finland
Best Animation
Global Youth Film Festival Lakshmipur 2018, Bangladesh
Student Audience Award
Contact International Student Film Festival 2018, Turkey
Jury Mention Award
Ringerike International Youth Film Festival 2018, Norway
Reviews:
"Again hewing to the darker side, the Dutch animator Jorn Leeuwerink's deceptively childlike Flower Found! creates an allusive pastel nightmare of mistaken identity and mob injustice. Digitally animated on painted watercolor backgrounds, the story follows an anxious mouse who learns that enlisting a search party of woodland creatures to find his stolen blossom might not have been the best idea."
Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times
"The simply rendered animals in Jorn Leeuwerink's Flower Found! present a powerful lesson in the dangers inherent in a rush to judgment. The charming naivete of the animals' looks belies the folly of their actions."
Charles Solomon, Los Angeles Times
"Pictographs in word balloons replace speech: From the Netherlands, Jorn Leeuwerink's Flower Found! begins as a sweet kids' tale (albeit one with a Philip Guston visual influence) in which all the animals of the forest team up to help a little mouse find the pretty flower he lost. Things don't go as planned, though, and this is one of two shorts featuring moments that might disturb sensitive children."
John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter
"Leeuwerink's disarming fable opens as a cutesy animal caper and ends as an utterly bleak indictment of mob hysteria. When a mouse discovers that its favourite flower has been stolen, it enlists its forest friends to help recover it. But they get carried away with their task, resulting in a horrific miscarriage of justice. In the context of the programme, Flower Found! felt like a political work, even if its message is cloaked in allegory. Leeuwerink has form in mordant satirical cartoons, but this, his graduation film from HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, is his strongest yet. The plot is perfectly paced, keeping the audience guessing as it shades from comedy into horror, then tragedy. It has been on the festival circuit for a while, and every time I see it, I'm struck by its narrative clarity and purpose - no mean feat, especially for a student film. It won Anima's award for best student film."
Alex Dudok de Wit, Short of the Week
See all the awards, selections and reviews at aapje.net/flowe...

[@shortoftheweek]

Amazing short - we love its light attitude to grand themes!

[@pikkuperuna3324]

I think the symbolism of the mouse getting pushed aside like the original intent is pretty well done

[@m_lies]

wow this turned very very dark...

[@charliebaby7065]

sadly it turned very very realisitic

[@AriaM1911]

I love how your animation uses a relatively adorable style to make contrast with the blind cruelty that is relentlessly happening in reality. The execution scene is brutal to me not due to explicit images but rather because such is not one expects to see in an animation drawn in this style. The contrast truly makes an emotional impact on the viewers and gives more profoundness on the message you were trying to convey. (proceed to binge watch your animated works

[@metermorphose]

Incredible. Really left me with consternation. I feel so pity for mouse... enthusiasm changed over deeds supported by other with a probably other valuing or intention into deep sorrow and guilt.

[@missfrencheefrench4798]

This is so indicative of society today, with all of the insanity, mob mentality, moral ambiguity/relativism that we deal with every day.

[@mannie7028]

The madness of crowds ... Douglas Murray

[@sandysjy5340]

I think I'm traumatized.

[@riverbandit2138]

I thought it would’ve been light hearted fun and giggles, not something so dark! Holy shit. Some how I feel like this relates to society

[@charliebaby7065]

I saw i thought some negative comments about this.... but i disagree, (lol i may even be dealing with a case of mistakened assumptions myself regarding that) but if this was considered 'horrible' in any way, it should be over the fact this animation only mimics the reality and horror of our own judical systems. I myself was jailed for a month over a accusation of violence , until i had found a lawyer to bail me out for 2000$ AND THEN heard by a judge, who cut me off, sending me to a higher court, AND THEN a year later FINALLY being heard in felony court which cost me another $2000. in which my lawyer, said nothing and i myself proved that i was the one that called the police for being attacked months before, even showing my bleeding injuries to them, while they in turn did nothing but leave me in that situation, and then also proved i was the one that called in the current situation again with injuries, but jailed only me on the grounds that i was obviously mad. the prosecuting attorney, did stop, and did ACTUALLY APPOLOGIZE to me. the judge said nothing but dismissed my case immediatly but now my criminal record shows i was charged with a felony level violent crime. doesn't show i was found guilty, nor does it show i was dismissed . it only shows ive been charged. since the dismissal, I've lost TWO jobs given to me, before they finished their background checks. so, one month of lost wages two lost jobs leading to one eviction on my record and a total of $4000 in lawyer fees AND to top it all off.. to get it removed from my record i must pay ANOTHER $4000. totally $8000 so, as me and the felony court debated live, what defined a victim and what they were and were not obligated to do unto victims within their court.... let me clearly tell you without any hesitation our judicail system does not care what it does causing VICTIMS, finincial crisises exceding $10,000 is not a concern of theirs. at most you might get a "we're sorry" i believe the moral of the animation hasn't been completed yet with proper planning, and with a good mulch, and a good fertilizer, you can avoid the unneccesarry hassle of gathering an audience to watch you while you sit there and await your new flowers to sprout from the earth and bloom

[@FreeFoxRagu]

This is such a sad and unfair story. I cant even immagine how this must have been. Like it wasnt enough that you became victim of violence, you also ended up in jail. This never should have happenes and Im so sorry it did to you...

[@doggoadexx2680]

This is so fked up in so many ways

[@justmonika1]

Lovely animation as always! You do pitch black humor like no other.

[@Grilled12]

Can't believe they got the angry bird to voice the bird

[@holycow818181]

I remember seeing this at the 2019 Animation Show of Shows, and this was my favourite of the bunch. I'm glad it's finally available on KZbin.

[@singsonggirl9267]

So well done. The background painting and animation is great. Its stark reality leaves one with a heavy heart.

[@nilzamaria847]

I liked the mix of horror and cuteness in this animation Well done 😊👍

[@lt7388]

They did nothing wrong, they even investigated themselves

[@paperdollwizard]

Wow, beautiful film. It definitely took a dark turn, but I guess that was the point. Well done!

[@filetopoebus]

rest in peace chicken head

[@golfinhoyurii]

i love this short

[@vladalex9556]

how tf this channel doesn't have one milion subs?

[@last7697]

Unsolicited good is evil

[@amills1675]

That animation style looks alot like PIG

[@Yoraeryu]

twitter really does ruin everything smh

[@naajilyons2872]

That deer had shoes though.

[@BenziitOfemme]

It was the ladybug 🐞

[@xandrecos]

Super cool!!

[@polosofoelosofilosofo8484]

Este corto me asombro mucho y el final no te lo esperas 😮😮

[@OrangMation]

Great work

[@blackpink_ptw]

Just watched this in my English class!! Love it. ( poor chicken :(

[@Faltukaaccount]

Excellent 👌

[@Redd0w]

I feel like the art style and concept of this animation would make for a real good kids book, well… except for the ending is a bit dark.

[@retrobabyNEWGROUNDS]

Hi aap? I animating your characters in Crazy war. With everyone's characters saving multiverse too aap, with tankman and pico from newgrounds. Evil purple things killing them. Those evil purple invasion are super strong, and very powerful too. And blood everywhere. :'(

[@AapAnimation]

Wow, sounds epic!

[@frameshow_animetion]

it was like that story books of 5th class 🤌

[@user-xs4pi4hq9o]

I watched this on mute. In my head I could hear music from a spaghetti western 😅😅😅

[@danielvelazquez4958]

AWESOME! but real 😢

[@DoggoDoesStuff]

Wow

[@kokuma000]

看完也跟著老鼠一起難過了😭

[@anton-ke4qz]

Аллегррия на справедливость

[@user-od4os5bk1o]

😭

[@janepage3608]

Well that’s ruined my day. Great animation, though, and excellent music. But still….

[@marieboyle6183]

Poor innocent chicken.

[@user-mg4oi5fn7i]

Да уж ... Что курил автор.....

[@kauecaliel3265]

i love this short