“Opal” by Jack Stauber (Review Analysis and Explanation)

[@jolenes4692]

Took a second watch for me to realize that “ghostly effect” is the lace curtain hanging in Opal’s bedroom window 🤯🤯

[@chris951]

If you listen very close you can hear crying noises in the effect

[@veke...]

I've watched the short around four times and never realized that

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

I just figured out about it when I first watched it and it's all curtains instead of mists.

[@garbagegorl1834]

I thought it was meant to be all the sheets and fallen curtains in the mothers room. Especially since in the opening sequence the mother’s part has drugs, alcohol, and *lace*.

[@chantolove]

A more realistic point of view: I watched that moment a few times to try and figure out how he did it. It’s strips of lace being pulled through a hole, played BACKWARDS.

[@someman66]

It's like Coraline, except the fake family is *actually* better.

[@L0L_puk3]

The other family in Coraline at first was good Of course to lure her in

[@tristanrose-stockwell846]

@@L0L_puk3 well I mean having a spider witch luring you in with promises of a good family to steal your soul can't be as bad as a real family trying to break down your door right? Right?

[@L0L_puk3]

@@tristanrose-stockwell846 Which is why I said at first- lmao But yes knowing that I'd still go in 👀

[@tristanrose-stockwell846]

@@L0L_puk3 y tho

[@L0L_puk3]

@@tristanrose-stockwell846 I have my reasons ;) lmao

[@CandyPawz]

I saw a detail someone pointed out that the real Opal in the billboard is much healthier than Claire, having a full round face like all the other characters while Claire is the only one that's small and malnourished looking. There's also the fact that instead of eating a burger, she dances with it, not knowing what you're supposed to do with a burger.

[@gayvagina7353]

Also she dances on the plate

[@kaylahope6566]

This is a really old comment, but I kind of always saw it as Claire just mimicking the billboard more (and maybe some other ads that she's seen while helping her grandfather)? Because if you look at the rest of the family when she's dancing, at the little 'yaaay!' bit, they're all in the exact positions as the family on the billboard.

[@tribbleflorp]

She also very awkwardly pokes it and stares at it

[@niikoban545]

@@memphisisaiah7466 Why would you hack someone’s Instagram? That’s kinda a breach of privacy

[@jaymann2741]

@@niikoban545 he is t a real person, it’s a fake account. It only has one comment.

[@marceline512]

Another detail of note: *Claire doesn't know what you DO with a burger.* She's clearly malnourished in the real timeline, which leads into her doing what she assumes you do with a burger in her dream world at the intro, so that's why there's that weird burger scene. Though it might sound weird, if you look back on the scene with that point of view, it makes a lot more sense, although it is somehow even MORE depressing than before. Even in her dream family, she doesn't look nearly as well-fed as the billboard shows Opal.

[@sophiescribbles8504]

Also when she’s tucked into bed in her dream world the background looks like floorboards and not an actual bed

[@TheChocolatBlanc]

@@sophiescribbles8504 You can see her actual bed in the last floor of the house . I don’t remember if it’s some cardboards tho

[@you_broke_up_with_knives]

Wow…. Ur so smart

[@heyimhere7048]

I also found this comment on the original vid: (not exact words lol) “Opal’s mom grabbed Opal’s ankle but in her dream family, the fake mom’s hands are behind her back” And something I noticed which is probably obvious, when the lyrics say “you will be in our eyes” or something like that, it focuses on Opal’s fake dad because her real dad looks at him only, not Opal

[@Quickfix-n3s]

i want that dance she did in fortnite

[@questionablemotivegirl6054]

The mother almost admits to her faults by saying "I feel terrible for what I-" but then she interrupts herself and says this "I feel terrible" she's so close to finally saying that it's her fault yet at the end of her sentence she chickens out, not being able to accept the consequences of her actions.

[@sallomon2357]

Also, if we take the "flashback is the mother hitting the father" theory from other comments as true, then the mother is even more guilty than it may appear, as she might've basically turned the only somewhat decent parent of Claire/Opal (the father) into a pile of insecure mess. So heartbreaking.

[@jabbawookeez01]

it happens. i barely found the OG video like this week so im looking for vids that talk about the video. my stepmom and stepsisters do that. they try to say that they were absolute shit to me when i was small but then when they realise im there they walk back their statements and act like i deserved it. so it happens

[@gachaash2914]

@@sallomon2357 i think Claire mother was getting abused as a child in the flashback because of her mother she doesn’t know how to take care of her child and she wants to take good care

[@Jade2781]

Imagine Jack makes a short called Claire and it’s a direct sequel to Opal.

[@miminto25]

Hell yeah

[@beterotato6757]

YES

[@eyewire-qi1lr]

The plot is then confronting their problems and going to therapy

[@a.c.7573]

@@eyewire-qi1lr that'll be great

[@uuncoolguy6]

O God no opal would become a serial killer

[@underoverachiever7093]

Here’s some crazy details, Opal seemingly has no idea how to hold a burger at the beginning of the short. she’s likely malnourished, since her grandfather can’t make food, her father only cares for himself, and her mothers an addict. The dancing lips don’t dance, because the blind man has never seen someone dance before, because, well, he’s blind. The mother’s hair is extremely thin, in comparison to other characters, likely because she uses cocaine, which causes hair thinning and hair loss. When Opal notices the billboard, during the We See You Opal reprise, burgers cover the billboard lights, likely Opal pretending that it’s not a billboard, but real. When Opal’s mother says a daughter to hold her hair, this is literal, since her mother would need to have Opal hold her hair while the mother vomits due to alcohol.

[@sirrivet9557]

Im not sure if it’s cocaine, because other drugs, as well as age, could thin hair. Maybe some kind of opioids?

[@underoverachiever7093]

@@sirrivet9557 It could be any kind of drug, but none the less I believe the hair thinning is due to some sort of drug abuse.

[@yagnopolosaur7043]

Underrated comment

[@itslapisnotbob8368]

not to mention opal has a really full, round face while claire has a very weak sparse face that is mostly taken up by her eyes, further indicating her malnourishment. the likely reason why the first thing we see is a burger is that decent food is probably the most basic thing she needs yet doesnt even have.

[@Cillixn]

Another thing I noticed is that Opal/Claire has tried to style her hair like the pigtails the girl on the billboard has but due to her neglectful family they've grown out too long and she doesn't have any hair ties to do it either.

[@gemstonegynoid7475]

Jack stauber definitely is getting up there. This is his third appearance on Adult Swim now, after a small 2 minute short and the large Shop: a pop opera. I certainly hope he keeps getting work on adult swim.

[@AJ-das]

I've heard that song on family guy multiple times too

[@kaieversfield1025]

what was the two minute short called? I've probably seen it already, but I can't risk missing any of Jack's works of art

[@wowitskahoot5743]

@@kaieversfield1025 i think it was called the wishing apple

[@WixkedLovy]

I’m sure if it wasn’t difficult and time consuming to make things like this, we would have a lot more Stauber content on adult swim. It’s just a lot of work and it seems like he’s someone who wants to work independently

[@MARINESCAERO]

@@lifesoldier same

[@evilpumpkinii7916]

“It’s clear that this man is BALD.”

[@taylorwilliams2880]

Haha

[@gorillaz8350]

Lmaoooo

[@chubsreyes2425]

Lmao

[@riversuckshugeballs]

Lmao

[@taylorwilliams2880]

@@riversuckshugeballs ah yes I am also partly BALD

[@blockpartyrobotleague]

I love how the grandpa's "you're not Claire" line works as misdirection of the audience on first watch, and reinforces the horror on rewatch. The first time you watch it, it makes sense to assume that he initially misidentified Opal as Claire because he can't see her, and then correctly realises that this girl isn't Claire and that a stranger has broken into his house. The movie continues on to the dad scene with the twist still hidden from the audience. But when you know the twist - that Opal was Claire the whole time - the idea of the grandpa not recognising his own granddaughter and screaming at her to get out of his house is far more upsetting...

[@coryklein2703]

and when he says "Hi Opal" in her fantasy world, that's because she wants him to recognize her, when in real life he doesn't

[@acidicali7776]

So he probably always flips out on her thinking she’s someone else huh? I kinda just assumed he thought it wasn’t Claire because she was still in denial about being Claire, so he subconsciously figured she wasn’t Claire either

[@michawkwalter4205]

Well he is visibly Bald after all

[@goatjamz]

y'know, it explains why she didn't bolt out of the house and instead went up the stairs

[@heyimhere7048]

@@coryklein2703 I knew there was a reason why he said that

[@deskinem_rooted]

Always found it interesting that the music played with the weird ghostly effect coming out of the window/door is called ‘Crying’

[@Sqlimft]

I’m pretty sure that’s because that’s exactly what it is: Clair crying. You can even hear crying in the background of the track if you listen closely

[@Chromelium]

It really unsettles me for some reason. It has like this overwhelming weirdness to it

[@M0tt0ri]

​@@Chromelium Very true. It's hypnotic, beautiful but overwhelming. Glad to read that other people hear it like a cry too.

[@lexaryan526]

@@Sqlimft I think that it could be her family crying to her. She left the house but she feels like her family needs her. While they scare her, she cares about them enough to go back.

[@Kimmie6772]

@@Chromelium I think that feeling is the goal. When she looks at her room or at her window, she feels an overwhelming amount of emotion, pain and trauma included. It's the existential realization that this is what her life is and that she cant avoid it, but can only dream and pretend. It's a very well executed musical detail that I cant help but geek out over.

[@KendoKetsu]

I realised something about The Mother's montage, and why The Father is so narcissistic. During The Mother's montage, you can see her hitting The Father, and as he is calling 911 on the phone, he is hit again, and his face, which is normal in this scene, begins to melt and deform like the one you can see behind the mirror. She abused him, and broke his face, and he then also became corrupt, due to The Mother's Actions.

[@UniEvolute]

I feel bad :

[@wetherbyvevo5393]

Also, the “they turned me down” line has been speculated to be in reference to people not taking his abuse seriously

[@beau1532]

@@wetherbyvevo5393 that actually makes a lot of sense because most people don’t believe men can be abused

[@hcmbie]

aw 😭

[@yummytella]

that’s so sad bro

[@dingdongbells3314]

I think the mother is best summarized in her own dialogue with the words "I feel so TERRIBLE about all the things that-" *Stops midsentence* "I feel TERRIBLE!" Now, I'm not gonna put words in her mouth, but I really strongly feel they were about to be "I feel so terrible about all the things that I've done" but she quickly realized that she was about to admit her own guilt, so she stopped herself short of saying that.

[@dianas6800]

Yes! I also think this! It could also mean that instead of focusing on what’s causing her pain, the mother tries to focus on her and her pain. Repeating the “I feel terrible” could show that she wants the attention on her pain, instead of trying to acknowledge or fix the problem. Very interesting!

[@mckennawilliams6362]

So My mom drunk calls me New Year and we are arguing and she’s just stumbling out words and she says “ you deserve -!!! you deserve to mot take care of your sister- I.. I don’t know what I’m saying , happy new year , love you ..” so for the first time ever she apologized for me taking care of my sister her whole life and it was honestly crazy , I mean she immediately took it back but it was crazy

[@puririiin]

@@mckennawilliams6362 oh

[@thepoppinggenerationgap6365]

@@mckennawilliams6362 i hope everything goes well with you and your family in the future. It sucks that things like that really happen.

[@youngmorose83]

Idk i may be wrong but i heard "I feel terrible for all the things, that feel horrible" claiming that she always takes the Blame for everone else, she also is an example of toxic chrisianaty as she says "godness exists" she tries to be forcefully good and forgiving showing of how her life is bad how she doesnt deserve it

[@drewmungus5841]

Someone in the Opal comments mentioned that the mother's flashback looks like her trying to call 911 before she gets hit (by her husband maybe?) and drops a baby (presumably Claire) which is why she repeatedly mentions being guilty, and sings about a little girl falling. I personally found it interesting that she says "so you decided to be a person today" (I think that's what she says) whenever she recognizes Claire, though I'm not sure what the significance is. I love all of the subtly Jack puts in his work!

[@MichaelMan2000]

Personally I think the line, "so you decided to be a person today" is her mother pointing out that Claire plays imaginary outside instead of interacting with real people. She's pretending to live in this delusion instead of coming to grips with her reality and interacting with her parents. As for the hallucination being a memory of Opal's mother dropping her on her head as a baby: I've heard that theory before, but I've been convinced by you, because it does fit all the allusions to falling in her song. I love that I'm still figuring out details about Opal. That's what's great about all the comments I'm getting, I get to learn about everything I missed from people more perceptive than myself.

[@drewmungus5841]

@@MichaelMan2000 that would make sense! Everyone notices different things, it's fun when the internet gets to put their heads together on stuff like this, I definitely enjoyed your analysis. I hope Jack continues to make this kind of content for us to decipher, it's so well done

[@MichaelMan2000]

@@drewmungus5841 agreed

[@RatOfTheWoods]

The "so you decided to be a person today" line really scared me, because it's something my mom says often to me because I often lock myself in my room to avoid her

[@user-cn5ex1qf8x]

During the flashback, someone pointed out that there was some sort of domestic abuse and it looks like she hurts the person back. It is presumed that the fathers face is distorted because the mother fought back. I also think the line "Mama needs a little girl to hold her hair" is very significant. I think the mother is referring to Claire holding the mother's hair when she is throwing up because she is intoxicated. I at first thought this lyric was the mother talking about holding Claire's hair like a caring mother would. When I rewatched it I started to realize that taking care of Claire is out of character for the mother, and she only wants to lean on Claire for things that she needs. I had to rewatch the mother's scene many times, its small details like this that make his 12 minute short film better than most films. Also if Micheal man ever sees this, great video!

[@lesleychandel5791]

When you mentioned that Claire is similar to the word for clear in French I immediately thought how Opal is similar to opaque. Her real family sees through her but her fake family doesn't.

[@MichaelMan2000]

Good Observation. My video has more than 700 comments now and I've read all of them. Your the first person to mention this. That's pretty cool!

[@msbellebelle]

On the topic of Claire's dad and his terrifying face! In the comments of Opal, someone mentioned that the ugly face could possibly be yet another metaphor for narcissistic people; on the outside they might look pretty, but on the inside, they might seem like an absolute monster. Claire would most definitely know what her father was like inside, which makes sense as to why he appears so gross in her imagination.

[@thevelvetcarpet3179]

Its actually cause the mother disfigured his face, which you can see in the mothers flashback. He and the Grandfather are probably not the worst but still very dysfunctional. Maybe due to him being disfigured, he can no longer achieve his dream of being a actor and now spend all his time trying to look perfect and throw himself a little pity party

[@wave9519]

@@thevelvetcarpet3179 not true or confirmed. Makes no sense. Ms BelleBelle had the right theory. Your theory makes no sense.

[@t-dot1564]

@@wave9519 I have seen a few people in the comment section come to the same conclusion as Velvet's (I can see the merit in their theory) so I wouldn't be so harsh as to say that their theory makes no sense. Also theories are just speculations. So unless the creator comes out and says something official EVERYTHING is technically unconfirmed and unknown to be true.

[@Selhanee]

@@thevelvetcarpet3179 oorrrrr, the desfiguration is a metaphore to her insulting his appearence, causing him to see himself as a deformed and ugly man

[@bandidocavalier]

@@wave9519 nothing is confirmed, everything could be true. Why are you so harsh n rude for no reason bro? Lets be kind to each other

[@deaconsims2]

there is one thing he did not mention with the "We See You Opal" song note the line "Your troubles are MILES away." we see on the billboard in the corner saying that the place "Opals Burgers" is 9 MILES away its another small detail that i don't blame you for missing I'm not saying the video is bad in anyway, Keep up the work.

[@MichaelMan2000]

That's a cool detail I didn't notice. Although even if I did notice it I'm not sure if I would've put it in my video because it isn't really that significant to any character or theme in the short. Which is what I was trying to limit my analysis to talking about. Still a very cool detail that I'm glad you pointed out to me.

[@Sleepy-yp4wx]

Someone told me that they theorise that Claire saw an ad for Opal's Burgers on the grandfather's television, and that they think that that's how Claire got the song. They said that they think that this would be the original from the ad: "We'll see you at Opals We're just 9 miles away We'll see you at Opals And we hope you enjoy your stay"

[@jasonninja55]

@@Sleepy-yp4wx That's an interesting theory. I think that the musical numbers are supposed to be taken metaphorically. Like they are actually having a conversation or something like that but it is presented to the audience as the music video.

[@crucifiedmothman771]

I've seen an interesting theory that Claire is malnourished because of her neglectful family. Every character in the short has a real body, even Opal has a real body, but Claire does not. Also at the start of the short when Claire's imaginary family gives her the burger she just sort of pokes at it and then dances with it, but never actually eats it. This could be because she cant even _imagine_ what a burger would taste like.

[@AFanofThings1]

@@MichaelMan2000 Don't forget the still at 3:06, where the image actually matches the billboard!

[@niko1773]

It’s clear that this man is *bald* based on his glasses.

[@MichaelMan2000]

Lol, I still have no clue how I made that mistake.

[@niko1773]

Michael Man2000 it’s funny lol

[@bonez9612]

@@MichaelMan2000 ah yes glasses = bald

[@an1k_623]

@@bonez9612 My hair rn: baby I'm not even here, I'm a halucination

[@Apple_Bapple]

same energy as "Gay mount everest" "Were gonna interview Erik Weihenmayer who climbed the highest mountain in the world, BUT he's gay- err excuse me- he's blind." -a real news channel

[@ketaku7515]

My mother worked as a Child Development Councilor for a few years, so when Opal released I told her to watch it and she had a hard time because it is a realistic depiction of how a child in an abusive and neglectful household would use their imagination to create a "perfect" life based on what they see in the world around them.

[@BeefyBryan]

I can understand that. My mom is an attorney for family law. I don’t think she’d want to see this either. She already goes through so much.

[@soggyrats]

if you look at the way the three are trying to break down the door they're all different. The mom isn't really trying to break down the door, she's just kind of standing there. The dad isn't trying hard but you can tell it's bothering him, he just hits the door lightly. The grandpa is pounding on the door trying to open it. The mom is the closest to accepting her issues and the most likely to fix her issues. The dad isn't ready to accept his issues but when he does with some help he will fix them. The grandpa is too far gone and possibly blames Claire for his issues.

[@yaboi81]

Hello fellow Annus. How are you coping with the channel's death?

[@soggyrats]

@@yaboi81 depressed but that's to be expected, and how about you? How are you coping?

[@yaboi81]

@@soggyrats I've surprised myself with how normal I feel. Its like I still haven't excepted that it's gone but at the same time I have. Still sad though, feeling depressed a little more than usual. Memento mori I guess.

[@soggyrats]

@@yaboi81 memento mori 🤘😔

[@soggyrats]

@Ali Shabbiri UNUS ANNUS UNUS ANNUS!!! 😭😭

[@quasinanners267]

I love all the minute details too. Like how because the grandfather is blind, all the singing figures don't have faces, but instead mouths and brains for heads (the main characteristics he absorbs from those figures without seeing them).

[@keshalegrant2352]

my favorite minute detail about the grandfather is during his song when he says the ladies sing assumes they dance too (because he can’t see them to know if they dance)

[@happenedbychance3392]

"Go on Opal, you can do it!" It sounds more based on encouragement to me. Perhaps she wished that her mom gave her more encourageement?

[@Yoho4867]

Her mom irl said "you're just as powerless as me" while her fantasy-mom is trying to empower her and her independence

[@jesserembert2152]

I think the man’s so focused on his appearance because in the flashback for the mother it looked like she attacked the man and maimed his face, thus the skin falling off in the flashback

[@joshfilms4088]

Link?

[@thegamer303]

@@joshfilms4088 its in the flashback the mother has during the song

[@lyd3815]

and the imaginary family is literally singing about how all of her trauma is far away from her while she fixates on her imaginary world

[@bandidocavalier]

your pfp and name is a 10

[@lyd3815]

@@bandidocavalier why thank you kind sir😼

[@facho8968]

If you listen closely when opal saw the window, you can hear a little girl crying.

[@joshfilms4088]

I think it's opal and the video is just a never ending cycle

[@applejuice7648]

The song is called “crying” too!

[@emmanimate]

love that jack is getting the recognition he deserves. been dying to see someone analyze opal! I took what you percieved a message about blaming their issues on other people (in reference to Claire's guardians) to be a commentary on escapism and how those unhealthy examples have permeated to Claire. her grampa smokes and "watches" TV as a means of escapism-- he's literally struggling to breathe and coughing up blood, very self destructive; her father is incredibly narcissistic & tries to emotionally manipulate his daughter ("you know how that makes me feel"-- also, I think he got turned down by potential business partners/employers as the hands shown during his segment are in suits), and Claire's mother abuses substances as a means of escapism and it's VERY visibly self destructive. this leads to claire's only sense of happiness and feelings of visibility coming from something that isn't real-- she's escaping into her mind, and it's unrealistic and unhealthy. I think with all of these, you could also argue how they're all addicted to their respective means of escapism. I love this short SO much & I hope jack collaborates with adult swim in the future-- loved shop! & this was a VERY pleasant surprise. :)

[@MichaelMan2000]

I really love thoughtful comments like this... ───────────────────████ ───────────────────█████ ───────────────────██████ ───────────────────███████ ──────────────────████████ ──────────────────████████ ─────────────────█████████ ────────────────█████████ ───────────────█████████ ──────────────█████████ ──────────────██████████████████ ────────────█████████████████████ ───────────███████████████████████ ████████─██████████████████████████ ████████─███████████████████████████ ████████─████████████████████████████ ████████─████████████████████████████ ████████─████████████████████████████ ████████─████████████████████████████ ████████─███████████████████████████ ████████─██████████████████████████ ████████─█████████████████████████ ████████─████████████████████████ ████████─███████████████████████

[@emmanimate]

@@MichaelMan2000 thank you! I loved your analysis. :) You're definitely one to watch!! 💖💖💖

[@MichaelMan2000]

​@@emmanimate Thanks, I appreciate it :)

[@JazzWRats]

I would like to add something onto the father bit, in the song the father is saying “fixing myself so all can savor...” this leads me to believe that he’s not narcissistic, but has no self worth in himself due to the people that only care about his looks. This leads me to believe that even the mother doesn’t care about him and that they live with each other because of Opal/Clare

[@emmanimate]

@@JazzWRats oooh, that's a really good point! I think he's definitely got a God complex (literally "God is in my skin")-- I think he's deluded himself so much with superficiality and really has very little/low self worth; after all, they still "turned [him] down, so now [he] lives [his] nightmare". I think he thinks he's failed as a person and now relies heavily on the crutch that is his image, but even that's probably not real (also imagery towards the end of the brush going into the eye and him picking at his skin til it bleeds driving home the obsessive tendencies), as we can see with his actual reflection when Claire sees herself in his mirror.

[@dark_attribute]

another thing: opal's also probably seen this family in commercials so she can imagine what this family sounds like. i'd imagine the parents appear in commercials more often than the grandpa, which is why fantasy grandpa's only line is "hi, opal!!" because it's hard to imagine him saying anything else. source: me doing the exact same thing (not the exact same thing but very similar) when i was around 8 or 9

[@fatboydashredder9877]

I think its the fact that he didn't recognize his own granddaughter at first. She probably wanted him to recognize her, which is probably why he never blinks and doesn't have glasses

[@Opal9680]

I feel special/frightened that this video is named after me

[@mfultimate]

w e s e e y o u

[@victorcantillano7922]

o p a l

[@MichaelMan2000]

y o u r t r o u b l e s a r e m i l e s a w a y

[@bobblobybob]

w e s e e y o u, O P A L

[@proximab4276]

a n d i n o u r e y e s y o u ' l l s t a y

[@jtdogzonejdz7587]

You also tell when the father re-adjusts the mirrors his voice changes to some demonic voice and fixes it which returns his voice back to normal. Probably because he either sees it as an imperfection or the mirror is showing his true self when it is adjusted wrong hence why the demonic voice change. Idk if that's correct I'm not that smart. Also, Dark souls? Nice. You a sunbro?

[@davidkonevky7372]

yeah, he switches the demonic voice whenever he feels vulnerable, and tries to hide his insecurities away

[@fatboydashredder9877]

I think its demonic because of the way he sees himself. As a monster, a recluse. Or an outcast because of how he looks

[@foxbow3889]

Always pray the sun

[@zozjc611]

ta gueule

[@kmk3333]

Thank you for this! I'm sure many of us can relate to claire/opal.. Jacks videos have always resonated with me, but this one cut me to the core. My mother died last year from alcoholism.. my father is a mix of claire's father and grandpa. Both of my parents put so much on me emotionally when there was nothing I could do to help. For years I was that little girl, trapped in a miserable, violent house- wanting to be seen or to be someone else completely..

[@MichaelMan2000]

Wow, I really think It's great how brave and honest people are willing to be on the internet sometimes. I'm really sorry, I have no idea what all that put you through. Thank you for your comment.

[@Th3_Nimrod]

I hope things are better now! And will continue to get better for you

[@circusshow4723]

12:43 Theory: Claire/Opal is a Mal-Adaptive day dreamer Evidence: From what I understand most people who develop this disorder are trying to escape reality (most of the time because of trauma or abuse). As the name suggests it tends to get in the way of every day life. People who have it normally prefer daydreaming over being with other people and can even mistake their day dreams for reality. Another thing is that the day dreams tend to have a theme. Most people have even reported feeling concerned about how much time they spend daydreaming. These are only the symptoms that Claire/Opal displays there are a lot more but I think I’ve proven my point.

[@jxstsmp5737]

As a mal-adaptive daydreamer myself, you describing what we do to cope (heavy, light or in my case, little to no trauma at all) Aith life is spot on for me.

[@Owl325]

a child going through abuse is going to try to zone out about it? what a theory! ......

[@laurakramer4888]

seeing opal was.. therapeutic. being trapped with an abusive family hurts so bad, and jack stauber captured it well

[@6unshots]

Another note: the face Clair did at the start is the same as the one at the end when she returns to her imagination so this must have happend before. she could even possibly be in an endless loop of returning to her imagination every single day

[@shaela2022]

the cat. it haunts me in my dreams.

[@suburbanoctopus4517]

there’s a cat?

[@hauwley]

Cat?

[@MichaelMan2000]

@@suburbanoctopus4517 TikTok cat shitting

[@alannacussons9680]

@@MichaelMan2000 this is a brand new sentence I wasn't expecting to read today

[@MichaelMan2000]

@@alannacussons9680 lol

[@justemma5313]

I just wanted to add that god only knows what would happen if claire DIDN'T do what her family said. While she may be feeding into her family's delusions cause she wants to help, it could also be because she could get abused farther otherwise.

[@-kohakuma-]

I definitely agree. Being a child around maybe 10 or 11, there is nothing she can do to refuse. But as someone who has grown up in an abusive house, my inability to stand up or rebel is instinctive. And it is even more depressing when you realize opal is so young, she is amaciated due to parental neglect. She couldn't even fathom what to do with a hamburger so she danced on it, not realizing it is food to be consumed.

[@namename9194]

Another interesting thing: each family member has a different degree of not seeing Claire. The grandfather is blind. He can't see her, and will never be able to see her. He will never understand his own problems; he doesn't even understand that his breathing issues are due to smoking, and blames Claire for trying to help him. The father has an obstructed view of her; he *can* potentially see her (and even flips a mirror once to see her *legs,* but not her face), he just chooses not to. His problems come from himself, his own view of himself, both literally and metaphorically. The mother can and *does* see Claire, but she doesn't know exactly who she's even looking at. She's the closest to recovery, but doesn't know what her true problems are or how to face them (thinking that Claire should be her crutch through it all).

[@Astr0_.Gh0st1]

My theory for the father is that he was abused by the mother and when he is singing you hear the line “They turned me down, now I live my nightmare” possibly saying that when males are abused by women it’s taken lightly, but when a women is being abused people start going crazy. So I think that line in the song is pointing to that fact so basically it means that the father tried to get help, but since women aren’t usually the ones to abuse males no one cared and he was turned away. And in the mother’s flashback you can see someone dialing 911, possibly the father, and as he is about to call them the mother comes and hits him over the head with what I think is a wine bottle, or a bottle that carries some type of alcohol, and when the father came out of the hospital from this attack, again no one believed him when he said the mother did it. And so the father is sitting in his “reflection chamber” trying to fix his face that the mother ruined. Thank you for reading this, and remember to drink water and eat some food ❤️

[@iamhomosapien69]

I totally agree with you, also this needs more likes!

[@edenhan2580]

I feel like I found something people have been missing. -The dad isnt Narcissistic. Hes damaged and is insecure. The song he sings never mentions he is attractive or that he enjoys his looks. He is so insecure about his deformed face that he stays up in the bathroom constantly sitting there trying ways to fix his face. Meaning for all we know this man is probably too insecure to even find a job and feed his family. Hence opal's neglect and thinness. When Opal runs off, he says "you know how this makes me feel" he isnt mad at opal for breaking the mirror. He is upset and sad and wants opal to come back and comfort him as she has been doing since she is the only one who speaks to him normally. - the mother tells opal that opal and her are alot alike. That they, (not including herself) will never admit their faults. Just like Opal's father, being blinded and careless about Opal and only cares about himself, Opal's grandfather only cared about himself aswell. Blind, and never saw his daughter (opal's mom). He lives in the home of his daughter Because like Opal, her mother was born just to care for the father and become neglected as well. The mother was conceived only to care for the grandfather and never be appriciated and only blinded from the father who is addicted to his cigarettes and cares more about his cigarettes then his alcoholic daughter in the attic wasting her life away on drugs. So she now drinks and does drugs. Abused her husband due to drugs (her flashback has pills floating around) and she decided to have a child so that now HER child, being opal, can now care for HER. She is so damaged that she never had parents to care for her, so neglected that she decided to have Opal so that finally someone could care for her. This is another cycle much like Opal's dreams. -I also noticed how Opal sleeps in her attic. She stays there because she runs away from her problems. Just shows how noone is there caring for her. She doesn't eat. Just sleeps and dreams.

[@ceraz052]

“It’s clear this man is bald based on his glasses” 🤣

[@taylorwilliams2880]

Ah yes bald, I'm also partly BALD

[@trashboat4519]

I also noticed that in her imaginary family, opal is the only “strange” looking one, not even matching the little girl in the sign. She matches the messy, abstract, gruesome aesthetic of her real family.

[@ShadeX]

Great video dude. You definitely made the definitive Opal review and analysis video. I really wish I spent time on my review as it was too quick and too surface level. There was so much I didn't cover that I wish I did. As much as I like getting views I think it's better to take the time to do an analysis so I am glad you waited a bit. You did a fantastic job analyzing this special. I liked how you looked into the meaning of Clair's name and the name Opal. This is a well put together video. I am looking forward to whatever video you make next.

[@MichaelMan2000]

Thank you so much man! I enjoyed your video a lot too. I love how different creators can have unique takes on the subject. That's what's so great about youtube, your video and my video serve very different purposes. My video is a detailed analysis and review that I made after I let the short sit with me for a bit. Your video is more of a reflection of your experience after watching Opal. There's a lot of value in that, and it's admirable that you are willing to share your reaction to the short. A lot of KZbinrs have too much of an ego to share how they reacted to depressing media with honesty. It's also very impressive how quickly you were able to get that video out and I am jealous of your ability to draw. I too am excited for your future videos as I am also a big fan of Gorillaz. Thank you, I appreciate the thoughtful comment. :)

[@ShadeX]

@@MichaelMan2000 I didn't draw my stills my friend Manuel D did but thanks for the compliment.

[@goblinofmossandmud1794]

I love opals little dance she does on the plate at the begining

[@oogooboggins5956]

another cool detail is that on the official tracklist the music you hear when opal looks at the attic is titled "crying" which means that song is the wails of despair coming from opal in the attic.

[@sadfishboy7003]

One thing that I noticed is that dad says, ”don’t mind the house across the street” I think this is opal trying not to focus on her bad family and when opal looks at the house she seems sad and scared like she knows it isn’t real

[@peepeepoopoomyguy7457]

There's 3 mini heories and my own theory about Jack Stauber's Opal: 1.why Claire's dad has a "reflection chamber" Claire loves her dad the most,here's why: A)n her imaginary family,the fictional dad had 80% of screen time,trying to protect her,complimenting her and making her happy.The least shown character is the fictional mom.The theory proposes that Claire hates her mom,because: B)her mom is the most abusive than the other residents of Claire's house,evidenced by her throwing a bottle of wine at Claire. C)at the of the song "momma needs"we see Claire's mom damaging her husband's face,by smashing it with her bare hands.No one believed Claire's dad,so he wanted to fix his face. 2.the meaning behind the line "mama needs a little girl,to hold her hair". Claire's real mom by saying "her" she meant herself. In other words,Claire's real mom wants he daughter to hold her hair,when she pukes the alcohol she drank. 3.the laces The laces at the window are white and white represents the innocence.The laces "leave"the house,because Claire "loss" of innocence. Thank you for seeing that comment.

[@Kimmie6772]

I think the way the father is represented is meant in a metaphorical sense and isnt really literal. His situation is supposed to represent narcissism and how it's a self imposed prison. Even his "chamber" looks like a prison cell with the toilet and the sink (that or he's just supposed to be in a bathroom idk). He's so focused on himself and his outward appearance that he doesn't see how he's hurting other people, excusing his behavior as just being the way it is instead of looking for how to better himself. They have illusions of grandeur, but narcissists actually have a very fragile ego. They are masking one extreme with another. They feel like they have to either hate themselves or love themselves and in trying to mold their appearance they harm other aspects of themselves. This is shown with him "fixing" his skin until he bleeds. The truth is you cant be perfect, but you also shouldn't neglect bettering yourself. They have trouble finding a balance. When he's fixing his appearance, it's representing how he's trying to navigate the world with an aura of perfection, masking flaws in himself as to not let any imperfection seep into his public image. Saying to claire "why do you have to be so negative, I'm like still a little growing thing" shows that deflection of criticism and how he feels like a victim even in times when he's the instigator. "You know how this makes me feel" is very manipulative and is him grasping to be "seen" and failing, taking something small and feeling attacked by it. Truth is, he wants to be seen, but not as the person he is. He wants to be seen as who he wants to be instead.

[@_notquitehuman_]

We See You, Opal(Reprise) is a huge gut-punch. You're still in shock from the realization that her family at the beginning is imaginary, and that coupled with the instrumentals and the new meaning of the lyrics hurts so bad. I feel so bad for Claire. Like you said, she's the only one who can't fix her situation. I saw another comment about Jack making a sequel called Claire and I love that idea! Not only because I'd never say no to more Jack Stauber but I'd also like to see how he continues the story. I just want what's best for Claire, she's becoming one of my favorite Jack Stauber characters ^^

[@MarshallLeeFlames]

I'd like to point that maybe, just maybe, Claire doesn't truly fear or despise her father due to a few clues. When she interacts with her granpa and mother, her expressions are absolutely daunting. She's terrified to see them, but the same doesn't happen when she meets her father. Also, the fact that the only other room from where the celestial music comes out is the Reflection Chamber makes me feel like Claire really doesn't fear his father. Maybe she even loves him, but he's so damaged by the event that "let him down" that cannot have a genuine relationship with her own daughter.

[@TokyoWorkingMan]

I feel that “They turn me down now I live my nightmare” is society turned him down as being “beautiful” and now he lives his nightmare which is being perceived as “ugly”.

[@fatboydashredder9877]

I think he was beautiful before the mother disfigured him and when they rejected him it was because he was no longer beautiful

[@CowboyBeansss]

@@fatboydashredder9877 I think that too, but i think the "they turned me down" is the police ignoring him because the abuse is usually the other way around (man on women). And the "now i live my nightmare" is him saying his nightmare is him still living with his abuser. So now he obsesses over himself, trying to fix himself because he thinks the police rejected him because hes ugly.

[@StarSnowGhost]

"Opal" was a deeply moving short film to me as my dad suffered from substance abuse and emotionally abused me the same way Opal/Claire's family does: not consciously thinking of her at all, only of themselves and their habits - before he passed away in 2010. It really hits home and perfectly illustrates how it feels to be in the care of someone who's that clamped up and emotionally volatile, how much you just want to get away and also hope they get better somehow and then feeling guilty for doing so. Claire's mom hits the hardest as it seems, to me, that she's the most 'sympathetic' and 'caring' of Claire's family with the only one with a hint of guilt/regret, but she's also the scariest (to Claire and the audience) because she's so lost and in a daze that even when she's trying to sound supportive it feels like she's one moment away from collapsing or lashing out.

[@gemstonegynoid7475]

15:10 hiding her grandfather's cigarettes, not her father's. This is a very good analysis video. I'll give your other works a watch.

[@MichaelMan2000]

hehe my other works... about that... DON'T BOTHER! My Dark Souls video is my only other video like this, or anywhere near this quality. My other videos are so bad that they will probably traumatize you. As for my mistake in the video, saying it's her father's cigarettes and not her grandfather's. Your the only person who has pointed that out in the comments, I didn't notice that while editing the video either. So I guess congrats at being the most perceptive person out of me and my comment section.

[@Meowsiesuwu]

@@MichaelMan2000 "don't bother" hmmm... I think I'll watch some out of spite now

[@MichaelMan2000]

@@Meowsiesuwu LOL, don't say I didn't warn you ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@Wutzmename]

I would have told you but I didn't want to be a jerk. I KEED I KEED. I didn't notice it either and I agree that it is indeed a very good analysis. I like how you broke it down into two parts as well. Summary and Analysis. Really fine job. A++

[@MichaelMan2000]

@@Wutzmename Thanks :)

[@coryklein2703]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I think the main symbolism of eyes and the window definitely relates to the saying "the eyes are the windows to the soul" (someone could definitely analyze this further). I also slowed down the mom's flashback scene and you can clearly see someone dialing 911, the mom being hit, and her dropping Claire. We can also see a window at the beginning and end of this flashback, which looks the same as a window on the ground floor of the house. When the grandfather said "it's evil to help people that don't need help Claire" I thought that was really interesting because Claire has obviously been trying to help her family members, but they all refuse her help and seem blind to their issues. Her mom was right when she said "you're just as powerless as I am Claire". Claire feels trapped and isolated being the only one in her family able to see clearly and still be powerless, so she obstructs her sight both physically and metaphorically by closing her eyes and getting lost in her delusions and fantasies.

[@jacke1381]

One thing I noticed is how Claire’s imaginary family sings We See You Opal. In the beginning, we here them sing in a harmonious, almost angelic voice. In the reprise, all of them sing in the same voice, presumably Jack’s. I believe that in the first version of the song, Claire projects herself onto Opal, but chooses not to acknowledge her own living situation. When we hear the reprise, she has fully realized her state of hopeless. Her imaginary family sings to her as the credits roll, but now she’s aware of the bleak reality that is holding her down.

[@chanlennox8133]

The lights with the blaring sounds I always thought was like the sound of a truck or a train by the billboard

[@tarponpet]

The hottest takes from that list to me are Moana, Princess and the Frog, and Rio. Love those movies personally.

[@Cillixn]

One thing I noticed is that Opal/Claire has tried to style her hair like the pigtails the girl on the billboard has but due to her neglectful family they've grown out too long and she doesn't have any hair ties to do it either.

[@user-mf5kn8bn9h]

Also I think it's worth mentioning that at the beginning Claire's grandfather says, "It's evil to help someone who doesn't need help.", seemingly rambling to himself like everyone in the family does. This is basically the entire plot of the short summed up into one, with one detail: He puts the blame of helping someone who doesn't need help on someone else, namely the person doing the helping.

[@lorenal348]

Due to Claire's abusive situation she deleoped a coping mechanism called Maladaptive daydreaming. Claire's story is very real and many can relate to it. It's alot more depressing knowing that.

[@butlerkitty]

13:43 i don't think that's the case. i think claire ran away from home, and is coming back late at night, and is startled by the house's alarm. that's what the dinging and the light is for. she's trying to sneak back up into her room without anyone noticing.

[@paranoidsheepy]

I’m so glad someone has broken this down!! I broke this down on my own last night and watched the short like 10 times. If you slow down the end to when Claire starts appearing on the grandpas eyes and to the fathers mirror. You can see what the father actually looks like it’s distorted and the jaw looks almost broken so that his reflection is just in his head too. I still don’t understand why lace was used as the ghostly draw in though. It seemed very important but I just got kinda confused lol. Loved this video so much!!

[@futureman123]

I don’t think the father looked like that, but that was what he thought he looked like, hence his constant “self-improvement”. Also, that “they turned me down” line makes me think that despite his narcissism, he also seems to have shitty self-esteem

[@ChestersonJack]

The way I saw it, the lace is the same kind we see in the windows of the fake house. When she looks out the window to the billboard, the only thing she can still see of her own home is the lace curtains in her window, serving as a constant reminder she’s not really there.

[@fatboydashredder9877]

@@futureman123 I think its when the mother struck him, he was disfigured and rejected from his job or line of work. Which is why he is doing so much self improvement. He also seems to have a narcissist personality due to his own fantasies and illusions

[@alexvasquez8522]

Idk if you’re gonna read this a year later but white lace represents innocence and the way it’s drawn out the window could be interpreted as losing innocence.

[@SpunkyDunk]

I’ve seen Opal about 15 times already, hands down more than any other short I’ve watched. I’m now a Jack Stauber fan in hopes that more brilliant shorts will be made.

[@god-rj5wf]

"We see you, Opal" really makes me think about the Free Churro episode of Bojack Horseman where Bojack talks about how all he really wanted was to feel seen by his late mother.

[@rhinophew9894]

Something interesting is that Opal's head was not a creative choice, she's malnourished. Everyone in the short has round heads and she has a triangle, bony head.

[@VerbDoesStuff]

I could have gone my whole life without seeing that cat tiktok

[@soikuri]

same. what was worse was i was eating at the time of seeing it...

[@harrison6517]

This video is amazing, the in-depth analysis of the characters and clairs perspective on it all was incredibly interesting and made the short a lot more enjoyable thank you Michael man

[@usernameremoved3512]

I feel like this video makes the more sense in Opal because when I watched other videos about this, I still had questions like: Why did the grandfather say Claire isn’t Claire? Why is the mother so creepy? Where does the delusions come in play? But all my questions have been answered, so thanks dude :)

[@joshfilms4088]

Who tf is Claire?

[@honeychroma]

@@joshfilms4088 Opal is Claire, the name Opal is from the billboard, Opal's Burgers.

[@alara2561]

not sure if it’s mentioned but the “false family” looks very similar to her real family, the father is dressed similarly with brown hair, a blonde mother, and a bald, old, wrinkly grandfather which seems like an odd combination to just be a coincidence. the false family is just better and so is “opal” they all look healthy and happy in comparison, yet still have similarities.

[@road__kill4201]

Hey man, this is an awesome video! It's full, in-depth, and your analysis is detailed and amazing. Two other things I also noticed in the short film were that: 1. In the official Opal OST, the song that plays during the strange, magical window and door scenes is actually called "Crying." This could possibly mean that the thing that beckons Claire/Opal to the house could be her knowing she has to leave her fantasy to enter her room and go to sleep, and she's crying about it, which just makes the short film even sadder... 2. The incident that the mom has flashbacks about could be what caused the father's face to become so disfigured, as if you slow the flashback scene down you can see a severed face falling in front of the mom. Maybe she accidentally burned or severely cut it while drunk or high? Anyway, those are just some extra things I noticed and this video was absolutely awesome! It's great to see in-depth, genuine Jack Stauber analysis videos, because a lot of what he makes is just so detailed and complex. I was just wondering, sometime in the future would you ever consider making an analysis on his other short, SHOP, which debuted at around the same time as Opal? It's not as disturbing or detailed as Opal, but I'd still love to see an analysis from someone like you sometime in the future. Keep up the great work!

[@MichaelMan2000]

Thank you for your thoughtful comment, I love getting these! As for Shop I might consider it, but I'm probably not going to make the video, because I'm just not sure if Shop needs an analysis in the same way Opal does. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Shop, and the music is some of my favorite from Jack, but I'm just not so sure there's as much to analyze. From memory Shop has a far more blatant plot, and set of themes. It also doesn't take more than one viewing to understand that the songs correlate with the 2-D grocery store animations. I may be missing a lot of details, but I didn't get that impression from my first viewing. I'd love to be wrong, tell me, are there any details you think I missed?

[@road__kill4201]

@@MichaelMan2000 Thank you for the compliment and responding to my comment! And yeah, as regards to Shop, you're right the themes are much more on the nose than Opal. While there are small recurring jokes, details, and motifs, the plot and other stuff are much more clear and maybe not worth analyzing as much. It's your channel, so it's really up to you, but either way I subscribed and I'm looking forward to future videos from you! I'm glad I found your channel, and I hope to send support and good vibes your way!

[@MichaelMan2000]

@@road__kill4201 You sure did! I appreciate the sentiment/ vides, the comments and the subscription. :)

[@andrea0_o]

someone pointed out that claire’s imaginary mom always has her hands behind her back and i just made a connection so i wanted to add on. i realized that the “flashback” claire’s mom had showed her getting hit or hitting claire then she proceeds to say “see, you’re just as powerless as me claire”, then attempts to hit her or something. so it absolutely makes sense that claire’s imaginary mom would have her hands behind her back the whole time. like a sense of comfort for claire that her imaginary mom’s hands aren’t visible.

[@BlueOrder]

This analysis is incredibly in depth and well made. I felt like I knew most of the stuff hidden in the short, but you pointed out a ton of miniscule details that I would've never noticed on my own. Fantastic video, great work!

[@MichaelWilson40423]

The Grandpa summed it up: “It’s evil to help people who don’t need help.”

[@mothbaby4867]

I was WAITING for someone to realize all the eye imagery. I love this!

[@toadstoolsandtaverns]

Opals are milky white, with no pupil, showing that Claire is trying to blind herself from her situation using opal. Claire means clear, but opals are foggy, so that presents a contrast. She’s also the thing preventing her family from noticing that they’re the problem, so while she’s Claire and can clearly see what’s going on, she still helps them blind themselves to what they’re doing. In the process, making her vision more unclear and misty ad she keeps escaping to the billboard world

[@sugamein5422]

also if you notice, in the beginning opal/Claire looks very stressed and nervous before she opens her eyes, showing that either this is the ending edited as the beginning, or its showing that opal/Claire often dreams of this alt reality.

[@BlusEXE]

“It’s clear that the old man is bald based on his glasses.” This made my day. I know it was a mistake, but I thank you for it-

[@deadlyfarriswheel]

You know I actually thought she was coming back and seeing how everyone turned out without her but now that you mention it this way it makes sense!

[@funnythief3330]

11:19 I’m so glad you were able to get a completely clear picture of that face. That one singular frame. Thank you.

[@ZomisterG]

I remember finding Jack on accident. I was searching for a song and while doing so I found Jack's song called "Hamantha" and that made me fall in love with his work! This happened around 2019 and I enjoy his work even more now.

[@LaCabraAsada]

I found out about him with the song "Just a little bit of hope"

[@DatBoiSoup]

Another good detail is that when the fake family sings we see you it has different voices then the ending because the real family replaces the voices after remembering the voices of her family

[@ClayishWall]

I find it interesting how opal doesn’t actually eat the burger and is instead taken away from her, probably because she hasn’t actually ever tried a burger and only saw it in the ad. (Quite a small detail but I found it interesting nonetheless)

[@thebadegg8937]

That breathing on tv song honestly made be feel suffocated at first listen.

[@CochetVolaille]

i know this video is old but i feel compelled to say thank you, it was the push i needed to actually go and watch opal. funny enough it feels like being seen. when i was younger, i lived in a big house that was beginning to fall apart. my father was ill and lost himself in movies. my brother left me to fend for myself and went out with his friends to avoid our crumbling home. My mother was barely there, mentally. i was hungry and alone and all i had to keep me going was playing pretend that i was in a beautiful place and safe. i remember having to help my mother with doing whatever drug she was numbing herself with at the time. my parents trained me to downplay what happened, and sometimes they go on tangents where one sentance is "im sorry" and the rest of the speech is about how they didnt mean to, they loved me, they just were going through rough times. seeing this felt like someone saying "its okay to be angry and sad about what happened, you dont *have* to be the bigger person and pretend its okay" so yeah, thank you for giving me the push to watch Opal, and i think your analysis was excellent

[@sjj1879]

I hope things are better for you. 💖

[@ysabellabernice5422]

I hope you are okay now! ❤

[@sebastian_goat]

...okay who tf put "Buttercup" to a cat shitting into a toilet And what a great review... Opal gets better every time I rewatch it and hear new takes.

[@urmom-fm7ls]

jack stauber is genuinely a super talented guy. i loved him since 2018 when he got popular on tiktok and fell in love i always adored his personal style in music and storytelling and i think opal is his best work yet! i could probably talk about it for hours its just so deep with many meaning and interruptation i really cant wait for him to grow really love the man :)

[@laynelove2457]

another sad thing is that while imagining her perfect family, her pupils are always extremely huge. but the time around her real family her pupils become small.

[@kiraa230]

Thanks for making this video! I thought I knew all the hidden meanings of Opal but I really never thought abt going into the meaning behind the two actual names Opal and Claire ugh it's just so good

[@WillieDangerously]

I think your analysis was very well done, you had pointed out not only details but overarching themes I failed to see on my first view. What Claire does (and doesn't) do for her family puts her in a very awkward spot of accepting or understanding moral responsibility, even before going into how this affects her as a growing developing girl and how that affects her in the future. We see depictions of innocence from children all over media as the "one chance they get to escape the vicious cycle and break free", but it's very clear Claire by submitting into her own form of escapism (presuming this is not the first time she's having this fantasy) may lack that opportunity and is being raised to accept such delusions equally as her family. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all. That said I find your jabs at the animators and creators within the commercial animation industry to be slightly uncalled for in the same way Claire's father criticized her ankles; while we all acknowledge studios such as Illumination create films that have little lasting effect and all that time and effort go into a corporate machine made to sell tickets, toys, and cereal to children disappointing, I think that the skills of the animators who put those films together still are very good, it is the executives who decide what the movie will, or will not be, so I believe criticizing the "talent" of individuals who major animation companies disingenuous to their abilities. If Jack Stauber were hired to work on a new Despicable Me film for example, he would still be creating assets to suit the film he was hired to make much more so than his own vision. I feel the comparison between the two to be apples and oranges. I won't claim to know just how much creative input writers and animators in major studios have over the corporate executives who's visions only typically encompass revenue (especially since a lot of this is on an individual basis), but regardless I think it helps to differentiate who fault lies with regarding WHY a movie is the way it is. Do you blame the cook for not making exquisite and refined dishes when he's working a grill at a truckstop diner?

[@MichaelMan2000]

I actually completely agree with you. That part of the video is ridiculous, exaggerated and extremely hyperbolic. Remember when I made this video my channel pretty much had no attention, and most of my videos averaged at around 100 views. If I knew how much attention this video was going to get I wouldn't have said that. Although that's not to say what I said was just intended to be a joke, I do partially still stand by what I said. I think I didn't make it clear enough who I was referring to. I was absolutely not referring to any animators or animation teams. Sony pictures has a great animation team with a lot of creativity and style, but they're often told to animate movies that are written by people who are willing to create an entire movie with the soul intention of making a bunch of investors very happy. You end up getting movies like "The Emoji Movie" as a result. A movie with sometimes impressive and creative animation, but it's ultimately ruined by poor direction and terrible writing. When an animation team like the one at Sony Pictures are able to work with talented writers and directors who have a vision, you get something like Spiderman: Into the spider-verse. A movie that's animation is enhanced by the writing an directing. So yeah, animation teams are frequently forced to work on terrible movies, but terrible movies, especially animated ones, usually have tons of talented people working on them. I was more talking about writers and directors, and even that's debatable whether a movie like "The Emoji Movie" is their fault. It could just be because the writers and directors were given no freedom by their producers. Stuff like that happens all the time at Illumination animation. I think we're on the same page I just did a bad job of making it clear who I was talking about and how much I was joking. It was an unprofessional joke that I would undo if I could.

[@jeniferjoseph9200]

Most importantly, and I get you were somewhat joking, but you can absolutely have media that is both happy and compelling. An obvious example would be Mr Rogers, but to choose an animated example I could go with any delightful romp Disney or Dreamworks has put out. Do they occasionally have sad elements? Yeah, of course. But I think it’s important to recognize that children’s media (which this most certainly isn’t) should appeal to a wide array of emotions and not just sad stories that appeal to video essayists such as yourself.

[@koosp.2270]

The ghostly effect is Claire crying btw. It says it in the description of the original video and the music you hear during is called Crying on the soundtrack

[@micmidigozurecords]

Opel is extremely powerful. It just would of been awesome if they did some kind of Foundation to partner up with at the end, like a hotline or something. This was honestly a masterpiece

[@haaskaiiitt]

This is an amazing analysis, I never imagined the depth of this short when I first watched it. Thanks so much for the video!

[@MichaelMan2000]

Thank you

[@waydex1216]

A masterpiece. 12 minutes that made me feel creeped out, sad and deeply touched all at once.I love how Jack implemented eyes in a different way to each family member. The blind grandpa simply has no eyes, the dad is blinded by his mirrors - revealing empty sockets in a haunting face for a short moment near the end & the mother having dull, tired eyes seemingly drifting away every now and then.

[@L0L_puk3]

Doesn't the girl on the billboard (possibly the real Opal) look like Abigail from Jack Staubers 'Cooking with Abigail'? 👀

[@UniEvolute]

A Y e s

[@fr0ggy_t33th5]

One thing you guys Kinda forgot, at the beginning when the parents sing, the background shows the build-board lights that's a reference to the end where Opal/Claire sees the build-board and proofs that the parents at the beginning are fake. (edit: sorry about that, i rewatched the video ad it DOES talk about that.) Another thing that the two mouths on the Claires Father Kinda makes sense, the sudden change of voices sorta makes sense.

[@Klanchey]

Hey man this was a really good vid. Keep grinding my guy

[@MichaelMan2000]

I'm a big fan of comments like this

[@Klanchey]

@@MichaelMan2000 what’s your insta? As an aspiring content creator myself it’d be nice to meet more people up and coming around our age lol

[@MichaelMan2000]

@@Klanchey You can find a link at the bottom right corner of my channel banner.

[@Ermguysuhm]

It could be me, but the "we see you" sounds like a song to a commercial,, and the fact that the lyrics don't change kinda supports this

[@celticangel3739]

seeing the ending of opal made me almost cry because it really hit close to home in finding a fake family to tear yourself away from your own.

[@OysterPika]

I have theory that the reason that Claire dances with the burger is because she doesn’t get fed enough to understand to do with it

[@-Dazai-]

I think she’d be dead if she didn’t know how to eat food also you copied that from the other analysis

[@meowimg]

michael! this video is so good. i'm so glad i had a more in depth analysis of this short film, i actually broke into tears a couple of times because of how beautifully well told, tragical and emotional this story is. you definitely deserve way more subscribers, this is truly awesome :") by the way! do you have any other social media i can follow you on? just curious!

[@MichaelMan2000]

Thanks, I really appreciate people writing comments like this. As for social media, you can find my Instagram account at the bottom right corner of my channel banner, but I don't really take social media very seriously.

[@azilo3630]

kinda late but it the end i notice how the parents of "opal" when the cycle repeats this time close the curtains, meaning each time its getting harder and harder for her to face reality.

[@bigwilly1850]

With all the work, time, and effort Jack puts in his projects and music, he deserves to be bigger.