BRING UP THE SUN

Although he’s inexperienced, Sun tries to shine his small light upon the world when his grandfather retires and his father is too busy with other projects.

Unfortunately, Sun’s efforts cause dissatisfaction in the universe. The clouds don’t like the yellow and pink colors he showers down on them; the mountains grumble that he’s too small to shine. Still, Sun perseveres until the wave of complaints (the trees want things back the way they were; the buildings find his light too bright) send him back to his grandfather for advice. The cartoon-style digital art depicts plucky Sun as a glowing sprite, and the irritated objects are humorously anthropomorphized (“Turn it off, my eyes, my eyes!” grouses one of the buildings). Unfortunately, his grandfather’s advice—”There are some in the world who will never be happy…just be you”—feels simplistic. Sun’s late return after the visit to his grandfather renders the world dark, but when he begins to shine again with a renewed spirit, suddenly everyone appreciates him. This change of heart feels too facile, and some of the logic is faulty: Clouds can be pink, and why does Sun shine too bright for the houses, but not bright enough for the mountains?

An unsuccessful attempt at a fanciful empowerment tale.