The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello (2005)

Set in a world of iron dirigibles and steam powered computers, this gothic horror mystery tells the story of Jasper Morello, a disgraced aerial navigator who flees his plague-ridden home on a desperate voyage to redeem himself.

Director:

Anthony Lucas

Writers:

Mark Shirrefs (screenplay), Anthony Lucas (story)

Stars:

Joel Edgerton, Helmut Bakaitis, Tommy Dysart

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Joel Edgerton	...	Jasper Morello (voice)
Helmut Bakaitis	...	Doctor Claude Belgon (voice)
Tommy Dysart	...	Captain Griswald (voice)
Jude Beaumont	...	Amelia (voice)
Richard Moss	...	Kovaks and Additional Voices (voice)
Lewis Fiander	...	Engineer Kemp and Additional Voices (voice)

Storyline

Set in a world of iron dirigibles and steam powered computers, this gothic horror mystery tells the story of Jasper Morello, a disgraced aerial navigator who flees his Plague-ridden home on a desperate voyage to redeem himself. The chance discovery of an abandoned dirigible leads Jasper through unchartered waters to an island on which lives a terrifying creature that may be the cure for the Plague. The journey back to civilization is filled with horrors but in a shocking climax, Jasper discovers that the greatest horror of all lies within man himself.

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Plot Keywords:

alternate world | australia | creature | industry | steampunk | 

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Taglines:

"Do you wish to see a miracle?" Dr Claude Belgon, Aerial Biologist from the Academy

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Genres:

Animation | Short | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in 2005 Academy Award Nominated Short Films (2006)

User Reviews

A dark steampunk fantasy

As short horror films go, this is one of the best I've seen in recent years. The story is genuinely chilling and the cut-out animation style is a perfect fit for old-fashioned narrative. Capturing the creepy essence of classic writers like Blackwood, Lovecraft, and Poe, this film is a mini-masterpiece and well worth tracking down. Fans of animation may notice a slight stylistic resemblance to some of the works of the brilliant Karel Zeman, although Zeman's work was seldom as intense or scary. The only problem I have with the film is that the disk is PAL encoded and won't play on standard North American DVD players.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jasper Morello

Box Office

Budget:

AUD600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

3D Films, Film Victoria, SBS Independent

Technical Specs

Runtime:

28 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1