The Lost Thing
| Industry | Animation, Film production |
|---|---|
| Founder | Sophie Byrne |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
Key people | Sophie Byrne (Producer) |
| Products | Animated short films |
The Lost Thing is a picture book authored by Shaun Tan, which was later transformed into an animated short film that received an Academy Award.
Plot
Set against the backdrop of a dystopian near-future in Melbourne, Australia, The Lost Thing centers on Shaun, who collects bottle caps and encounters an unusual creature that looks like a combination of a crab, octopus, and industrial boiler. Known as "The Lost Thing," this being seems out of place within the urban environment.
Shaun embarks on a quest to locate the creature's owner but encounters general apathy. A friend proposes that it might not have a home at all. Upon reaching out to a government office, Shaun discovers that the agency's role is to conceal unclassifiable objects and receives a card marked with an arrowhead emblem. Following this clue leads him to an idyllic realm designated for lost entities, where he parts from the creature and returns to his routine—left uncertain whether the creature truly fits there.
2010 film
In 2010, the book was adapted into a 15-minute animated short film co-directed by Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann, featuring narration by Tim Minchin. The film earned the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and secured a nomination for the 2011 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.
Produced by Sophie Byrne through Passion Pictures Australia, the animation team included CG artist Tom Bryant based in Scotland and animator/editor Leo Baker from Melbourne. After several years of preliminary work, the dedicated production phase spanned three years from 2007 until 2010.