Save The Children - "If London Were Like Syria"

Even though not an animation, I find this campaign for Save the Children, extremely powerful. 

When I think about the refugee crisis, my view stands that we don't have much room to take in many more to live here in the UK. 

But after watching this campaign, I feel that view is now extremely narrow minded.. If it was happening here in London my view would be totally different, which is what this campaign highlights. 

The whole campaign is set as if London were Syria, bringing it closer to home, making us realise by bringing it closer to home, more relatable and therefore more real, which makes it in turn more emotionally captivating. "Just because it isn't happening here, doesn't mean it isn't happening". This slogan reflects how we choose to ignore whats going on, just because it doesn't effect us, a very narrow-minded outlook.

We grow attached to the little girl by getting shown her little habits and traits at the start, little things like eating a lolly, cuddling her doll, being kissed by a boy at school and going "eeeewwww" typical everyday normal schoolgirl things, which then draws a stark contrast with the ending where she is left with nothing. No food let alone chocolate lolly treats, no dressing up in mummys clothes, cuddly toy when she sleeps, no toys to play with. I feel it also exposes our consumerist culture, which all disappears with the dawn of tragedy, how we get used to living so comfortably and then to have it all taken away with a click

I also love the ending, a whole year comes around and its her birthday again, but this time no vast family, party or big cake. Just a little tray of rations with 1 candle in and she gets asked to make a wish again.. In reply she looks at the camera with a luck that says "I wish for all this to go away and life to be normal again." It makes your heart wrench, especially when you know this is happening to children like her.

When you watch it and watch it over and over you notice new things each time. Like the parents discussing whats going on, how they are going to stay in their house and not evacuate, leaving the child in the dark about situation, she plays happy not knowing the full extent of the situation as it progresses, this shows the innocence children have in all this, making it more emotional to think of them in such tragic circumstances as this, and exposes how it shouldn't be happening, how immoral it is.