What We Imagined (2025)
A spoiler-free review by Kraken Film Reviews
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Shubhavi Arya
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Lucy Bilecki, Naomi Steinberg
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United States
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2 minutes 42 seconds
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English
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In an era where animation is often measured in polygon counts and rendering farms, a film like What We Imagined emerges not as a product, but as a precious gift. It is a profound and poignant short film that serves as a vital reminder of where true creativity originates: not in software, but in the soul.
Directed by Shubhavi Arya and conceived and animated by two girls aged eight and nine, this 2-minute and 42-second masterpiece is a journey into the unblemished landscape of childhood imagination: a world where differences are not divides but invitations, and where identity is a story still being sketched with bright, hopeful colors.
The film unfolds in a magical park, a liminal space that feels both like a shared dream and a deeply personal sanctuary. Here, two children, one “fast like a cheetah,” the other “once feared”—find one another.
There is no villain in their story, no cataclysm to avert. The entire narrative is built upon the fragile, beautiful architecture of curiosity. They bridge their silent divide not with grand gestures, but with the gentle currency of childhood: a question, and a shared glance.
The “desktop of dreams” they conjure is the film’s brilliant central metaphor - a visualized mindscape where inner worlds become external, shareable, and malleable. It is in this collaborative space that they, and we, understand that to be “still figuring it out” is the most brave and honest state of being.
To reflect on the fact that the animation was crafted by hands still learning their own strength is to understand the film’s message.
The hybrid technique (a heartfelt alchemy of stop-motion puppetry and fluid 2D drawing) becomes the visual language of their connection.
The puppets, with their tangible, textured presence, ground the story in a world we feel we could touch. The drawings, which burst forth in vibrant, energetic lines, represent the internal made external: hope, fear, joy, and dreams flowing directly from mind to paper to screen.
There is an unparalleled poetry in these imperfections: a slightly wobbly line, a puppet’s earnest expression, a transition that feels like turning a page in a cherished storybook. These are fingerprints.
They are the evidence of tiny, focused artists at work, and this raw authenticity grants the film an emotional weight that flawless CGI often struggles to achieve. We are not just watching a story about children; we are witnessing the actual cognitive and creative process of childhood, frame by beautiful frame. We see the world as they see it: full of possibility, where a crayon can build a bridge and a shared idea can forge a forever friendship.
This project, born from the collaborative spirit of Woodlawn Elementary School and the KairosPDX community in Portland, Oregon, shows the transformative power of culturally affirming education.
KairosPDX’s mission to cultivate "confident, creative, compassionate leaders" is the very fabric of the film. The girls’ creation is a radiant example of what happens when children are offered not just tools, but trust - when they are genuinely listened to and empowered to share their vision.
What We Imagined is more than a student film; it is a glimpse into the potential that hums within every child.
It argues that our youngest generations are not just future citizens of the world but also present-day artists, and healers, whose voices are needed to re-enchant a weary world.
Their message is gentle and a clarion call: belonging is not about fitting in, but about being seen for who you are in your entirety, even - and especially - the parts that are still unfolding.
The verdict: A breathtakingly original and moving triumph. What We Imagined is a film that does what all great art should: it changes the viewer. It leaves us with a softened heart, a rekindled sense of wonder, and the urgent conviction that we must create more spaces where tiny hands are given the power to show us the way. It is a flawless gem of storytelling, all the more precious for the beautiful, unpolished hands that held it.
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