Happiness (III) (2017) User Reviews (13)

This is a capitalist/commodified head bang!

[logicproreviews · 7/10 · 23 July 2018]

Where to start? Well, first off this is what my daily commute to work is like. A literal rat race,the only difference in this animated short is that the rats don't use smartphones as much as us humans.

We see them (the rats) waiting for the train at the tube station - that was very true to life, comical in fact. A tin of sardines pulls up; one sardine falls out, another squeezes its way inside.

There are advertisements everywhere - in your face. Buy, buy, buy, commodity, commodity, commodity. Eat that burger - you know you want it but don't need it. Buy happiness, it's everywhere. Unless it's sold out at the local multiplex.

We've all been there.

Everything here begs the question... is this rat race carefully controlled by the upper echelons, slowly turning the cogs and warping our little brains? It is a scary fact and one that tempted me to turn this off early especially during the Black Friday sequence. Ahh!

The animations are fantastic and the choice of music lends to a sickly soundtrack.

Take from this what you will but be warned you might not like the stark dose of reality that Happiness delivers!

An interesting perspective on society

[oliverriordan · 8/10 · 29 December 2021]

While this short film does feel a little pessimistic in its interpretations of work and consumerism, it still presents them in an interesting way that makes the viewer think. I feel like this could have been just another movie or short showing the flaws of society, it it unveils those flaws in an interesting and visually striking way. The lively animation Paired with the classic music, serves as a meaningful yet cautious take on the meaning and purpose of happiness. This is probably one of Steve Cutts better shorts and it shows.

Oh Rats!

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 28 February 2019]

This is the real rat race. It starts with everyone wanting happiness, but the world is full of identical rats. As the "individuals" try to negotiate life, most fall by the wayside. They try to achieve financial success, material success, or euphoria through the use of drugs (and come crashing down). They are unaware of one another because why should they care? This is a sad, depressing commentary on the world we live in.

Happiness

[0U · 16 March 2020]

Story: 9/10. It's not a groundbreaking narrative but it's handled so seamlessly and with an effective sense of humour.

Visuals: 9/10. The animation is very comic-book-like in a good way and makes for very immersive chaos.

Sound: 8/10. Good sound design and choice in classical music.

Paradisio

[mihai_alexandru_chindris · 10/10 · 20 February 2019]

It's the most stunning short I've ever seen. Never thought that I would see something that would stalk with me for so long. Pretty much everyone I know has seen it. It's a marvelous little masterpiece that condences in a few minutes the "glorious" modern lifestyle of humankind. We've reached a point in time when we're so full hatred to one another, so depressed, so... unhappy. We can only imagine of a perfect society or so called utopia, but the current "state of the world" still has some work to do to change trajectory and find viable solutions for future generations to come.

Masterpiece

[injury-65447 · 10/10 · 26 May 2020]

Perfectly conveys the intended message. A thing of beauty with stunningly detailed visuals and an appropriately sweeping score. I loved the medicated fantasy scene!

Wow

[sreeragmeppadath · 8/10 · 23 April 2019]

So much symbolic and meaningfull.Portrays present world with increasing population and thirst for money

Very nice movie

[flopesm-55451 · 10/10 · 1 April 2019]

Nice movie about about life. It talks about our empty lives where we just know to work.

It's a hard knock life

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 22 January 2018]

"Happiness" is a new animated short film (2017) and the most recent work by Steve Cutts. No spoken language in here, but some pretty good sound effects and music. At under 5 minutes, this really isn't a long film at all, but it is memorable at times. Humans are depicted as rats in this little movie and we follow several of them on their very personal road to happiness. The end is the trap. Some really interesting and smart metaphors, symbolisms and analogies in here and it's impressive how the filmmaker even manages a temporary change in animation style at one point so effortlessly that it does not feel out of place at all. I enjoyed the watch here, cannot deny it, certainly one of the better animated shorts I have seen from 2017. Sure could have done without the very brief Donald Trump reference as in fact he is the one who symbolizes the people standing up against the established forces that will eventually result in their downfall, even if many, especially media, fail to see it, or I should say never would admit to see it. "Halt du sie dumm, ich halt sie arm" (you keep them dumb, I keep them poor) as a famous German musician says in one of his songs. Go break the circle. You have it in you. Anyway, back to this one here. Pretty meaning ful, yet enjoyable little work that makes me curious about Cutts' future projects. A prime example of animation made for grown-ups. Go check it out.

Damn

[pmauroleguizamon · 10/10 · 21 September 2019]

The best short film i've seen this year, period. I never write reviews in here, but this time, I needed to say that.

A film telling the ultimate truth but not very insrestingly made

[AnonymousbutDilpreet002 · 5/10 · 22 August 2020]

In terms of animation, this is easily Steve Cutts's best work. He has drawn thousands of rats with animation which would have taken a few months to draw at least. It is more colourful than any of his other films. The film questions many things including mass mentality and human's greed among other things. The narrative might be confusing but the ending is great.

well known reality

[Kirpianuscus · 5 December 2017]

a parable. or warning. mouses, a Japanes town and sources of happiness. short - one of waking up films. precise, ironic, powerful, seductive, honest. impressive for its simplicity and for animation remembering Japanese art of genre. manifesto against consumerism. ordinaries choices and activities. and the price of sweet refuges. remembering Jonathan Swift, it is one of films discovering a portrait of every day life.

Here, sample A...

[Whythishappens · 18 June 2018]

Isn't it ironic that it barely takes two, exactly two reviews in fact, to already get a sample of the 'rat' symbol here. Talking about going against the establishment, who, the one who claims elite in gilded form? Some people, I say, can't even tell the ironic context of their own quote. Identical to the lemmings in Steve's other film, just leading them all to their own cultist doom...