Ploey: You Never Fly Alone

What better way is there to say goodbye to a hectic day than seeing a good animated film? I've been reading throughout the day for my exams next week and I was pretty exhausted, so I went on TikTok and found a clip of this beautiful animation which I looked up immediately. The intro was appealing, so I hit the play button and was left in complete awe of its charm.

Synopsis (possible spoilers)

The plover birds are known to migrate south whenever winter approaches their spring home in the North. Winter's almost near and the little plovers are gathered for lessons on how to fly, but Ploey, the round character, is rather too afraid to give it a try.

Migration day is pretty close, and Ploveria, Ploey’s crush, compels him to give it a try, but Shadow, a predating falcon, snatches him before he could even flap his wings. Ploey's father goes to rescue his son but sadly is taken by Shadow instead, leaving Ploey behind, a little far away from the rest of the birds.

After efforts to find Ploey prove abortive, his mother mourns but has no choice but to migrate with the other birds, leaving him behind. Now left to fend for himself, Ploey must find Paradise Valley, a place which his father said was for birds who were cowards so they could wait out and survive the harsh winter.

On his way to Paradise Valley, he encounters obstacles that threaten his life, but with the help of Giron, a fat white bird, he's able to make it halfway to the valley. When all hope is almost lost, a reindeer takes him up and leads him to the valley, where he gains consciousness and warmth. It's not over as Ploey keeps thinking of his love interest, Ploveria, whom he feels will return North when winter is over because the North is their home, and they only migrate due to the harshness of the winter.

With Ploveria constantly on his mind, he musters up the courage to take down Shadow, who's always a threat to his species. But first, he has to learn how to fly.

My Review and Rating

I admire Ploey’s strength and resilience. Despite witnessing his father being taken away for food, he didn't go into hiding when he had the chance to.

Birds that stayed at Paradise Valley were birds who'd rather live and be called cowards than die heroes. Paradise Valley was free of predators like Shadow, but Ploey didn't buy the idea of hiding. He chose to face his fears head-on and fight for the common good of everyone he loved.

This is a film any parent can leave with their kids without fear of something corrupting popping in. It's safe from whatever ills we want to keep away from our kids, and it's also didactic in nature.

The landscape and vibrant colors add depth to the story, leaving you glued to your screen. It's exciting and has a little suspense that makes you want to put your hands on the screen just to help the struggling bird.

I also love the subtle romance in the film. Ploey and Ploveria’s love story is heart warming. The way they look at each other made the butterflies in my belly flutter. By the way, I was amazed at how skilled little Ploey was with his words when he wanted to get Ploveria back after he thought he'd lost her to another. ^{and then there's this grown-ass man in my corner who knows nothing. Sighs.}

Overall, I rate it a solid 4.5/5. Beautiful storyline, lovely cinematography, and soundtrack. Highly recommendable.