the mantis parable

the mantis parable first emerged in 2006. the lovechild of josh staub, the mantis parable won a heap of awards.

here's what josh has to say about his labour of love:

"the mantis parable is my first film, my foray into the world of linear story-telling. prior to accepting a position at walt disney animation studios in 2007 i spent 13 years developing computer games where the purpose is to allow the player discover the world, choose their own path, unveil the story at their own pace. it's up to them. this time, it was up to me. during the creation of the film i spent my days as the art and visual design director for cyan worlds, inc. helping develop most recently - uru: ages beyond myst. the mantis parable was a labor of love, and was created entirely by me alone (story, visuals, animation, sound, and music) over an 18-month period in my spare time."

if a parable is an accretion of metaphor and allegory then a careful and selective chiselling at its features should reveal its discrete elements in relief and eventually its essence. have a go at this one.

i see some of it but the whole hasn't reconfigured in my head just yet. i think it might be one of those shorts that requires mutliple viewings which is not that hard in fact as it is technically incredible. enjoy, the mantis parable.