Daniel Kreizberg’s short anyone lived in a pretty how town, narrated by Jane Goodall in one of her final roles before she passed away on October 1, premieres tomorrow at the SCAD Film Festival, and Cartoon Brew has been given exclusive access to its trailer.
The eight-minute adaptation of E.E. Cummings’ classic poem blends painterly 2D animation inspired by Cummings’ own impressionistic artworks with the lush orchestral tones of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, performed by the director’s father, the late conductor Yakov Kreizberg. The result is a poignant meditation on love, mortality, and humanity’s bond with nature.
The trailer’s release comes just weeks after the passing of Dr. Goodall, whose narration imbues the film with her legendary wisdom and grace. Kreizberg has dedicated the world premiere to her memory.
“Early in the production, we had a discussion about who we might like to narrate the film. We had in mind a voice with warmth, wisdom, tenderness, and musicality. After some time, I had the idea for Jane, a guardian of the planet and champion of life, to give voice to Cummings’s story of love, mortality, and the enduring human spirit,” he told us when the film was first unveiled, adding. “With deepest gratitude, we dedicate the world premiere screening of anyone lived in a pretty how town to Jane.”
Goodall, known worldwide for her groundbreaking work with chimpanzees and her lifelong environmental advocacy, was selective about her creative collaborations. Her involvement in Kreizberg’s project, one of her final artistic endeavors, underscores her belief in art’s power to inspire empathy for the natural world.
The short was produced in collaboration with The Studio in New York and Lithuania’s Meinart Animation Studio, with support from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Princess Grace Foundation, and the Jane Goodall Institute, among others.