Watch: Beautiful Animated Short Film ‘Monsoon Blue’ from Hong Kong

Watch: Beautiful Animated Short Film ‘Monsoon Blue’ from Hong Kong

by Alex Billington
August 8, 2025
Source: YouTube

“I’ve been having this feeling I don’t belong here… I keep hearing the sounds of someone crying…” Another gorgeous animated short film to enjoy – this is worth a watch. Monsoon Blue is a 14-minute short made by filmmakers in Hong Kong and after playing at festivals the past few years it’s now available online to watch. The dream of a goldfish transforming back into its wild form stirs up her long-forgotten memories. The film is also about a young woman working at this pet store for fish. She and the goldfish are both trapped in the city. “When our soul is lost, where and how could we search for it?” Starring the voice of Kay Tse. The short won Best Animated Short Film at the 2024 Golden Horse Film Festival In Taiwan. Another review describes it better: “Between Summer’s struggles with her nameless discontent, a parallel exploration of a cherished childhood memory, and an abundance of fish imagery, the short makes an inquiry that, upon consideration, is surprising in its enormity.” The animation is beautiful and all the fish in here are super cute. View below.

“When searching for the answer to ‘the reason to exist’, we have to go through a stage like a storm during the monsoon season, it’s suffocating, it’s strange & chaotic. Two goldfish try setting themselves free from the plastic bag that’s trapping them in, in order to get out and go back to the wild. As the legend said, that’s the only way to return to their original form. Meanwhile, there is the owner of the fish store, a young girl, who lives life in a soulless way. It feels like there is no purpose in her life. She and the goldfish are all trapped in the city until the typhoon arrived. When our soul is broken, where and how can we find it back?”
–Directors Ellis Kayin Chan & Jay Wong

Thanks to Catsuka for the tip on this short debuting. Brief intro from YouTube: “The dream of a goldfish to return into its wild form uproars her long-forgotten memories, and a self-conscious monsoon is about to be uninhibited.” Monsoon Blue, originally known as 夏夢迴, is an animated short film created and directed by the two artists / filmmakers Ellis Ka-yin Chan (follow him on IG @elliscky) & Jay Wong (follow him on IG @jay.w.art). It’s produced by Flying Monkeys Production (based in Hong Kong). From a script written by Donald Wingkin Kwok and Ellis Kayin Chan. And featuring original music by Allex Chan (Room307). This initially premiered back in 2023 and won Best Animated Short Film at the Golden Horse Film Festival. It also played at the 2024 Sitges Film Festival and other fests around the world. For more info on this short, stop by YouTube or visit Ellis’ IG post. To discover more shorts (including animation), click here. Thoughts?

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