This little film was made as proof of concept for its big brother, Burp’s Christmas. When talking with potential investors, it’s very helpful to have a little example like this one to point to and say “see – this here is what we’re going for. Invest in us, and we’ll make something even more beautiful”.
I think, however, that The Darkest Evening… stands on its own two feet, even though its characters and themes are borrowed from another project.
With this and Burp’s Christmas, I wanted to touch on a lot of the aspects of the season not represented in most animated yuletide adventures. Stillness, silence, worry, anticipation, hope, mystery, doubt… a real need for a savior to be born into our lives, then and now. I’ve always equated the poem “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost with Christmas Eve, ever since a pastor at my childhood church applied it to his Christmas Eve sermon. Miles to go before I sleep – these beautiful words speak deftly to the state of how many of us feel right now.
