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Title: Hello Willow Deer
Runtime: 20 min
Country: UK
Director: Christina Dodwell
Placement: Honorable Mention
Competition: March, 2026
Synopsis: Inspired after 3 months travelling in Kamchatka with reindeer, I created my own small group of deer, out of willow branches, to fly Santa’s Christmas sleigh. The final deer I made was called Star, but she was too small to be useful. She longed to fit in, to belong in the group, but always felt an outsider. And then Prancer who used to be the strongest, became anxious and scared of flying. They had to find a replacement to pull the Christmas sleigh. The search led them to an old manor, a refuge for lost deer, a friendly place guarded by stone lions. Santa and I joined them there. But the young stag they sought had been kidnapped by an evil woman. A rescue attempt was launched, and the young stag was discovered to be locked in a dungeon, but the key was missing. The leader of my deer, Rudolph, was also captured and thrown in the dungeon. Prancer pulled on his inner strength and found some courage. He successfully freed the captives and overcame the evil woman.
Back at the manor, the willow deer taught the young stag to fly, but Prancer stood miserably at the back saying he wasn’t ready. Christmas approached, Rudolph got a cold and his nose couldn’t light the way. So Santa put Star with her guiding light in the lead position. She now had her place in the team, and the young stag stood in for Prancer.
After Christmas the young stag flew home to join his herd in the north. Prancer tried to leave the group of willow deer, but they wouldn’t let him go. One day at dawn the stone lions gave Prancer the push he needed. He faced his fears and flew up into the chilly morning shouting ‘Hello world’.