Save the Children: Home

To mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, Academy Award-winning animation studio Aardman and international children’s charity Save the Children have released a short film to highlight the experience of refugee children around the world. Inspired by real-life experiences of children that Save the Children works with, ‘Home’ tells a story about how child refugees feel and what it’s like to be separated from friends, family, and school in a new and unfamiliar setting. It also celebrates the possibilities for children to welcome new refugee friends and learn about different cultures. Although prompted by the outbreak of war in Ukraine, this moving four-minute animation aims to support the many millions of children who have been forced to leave their homes because of violence in countries including Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria. Created by Director Peter Peake, ‘Home’ will be screened in primary schools across the UK alongside its general release. The short film follows a small orange circle as they arrive at a new school in an entirely purple world, inhabited solely by triangular purple characters. The orange circle immediately feels out of place, struggling with the language barrier and strange new food. But, through a blossoming friendship with a fellow pupil, they begin to feel welcome and accepted. As that happens, little bursts of orange start to appear in the purple surroundings, elevating the landscape to a richer, warmer, and more diverse environment. The film then shows different characters of all shapes and hues that bring their own unique colours to the previously monochrome surroundings, transforming it into a thriving and vibrant world full of energy and colour.