Greenpeace - Wisdom's Tale

‘Wisdom’s Tale’ is a short film by Rumpus Animation for Greenpeace, following Wisdom the albatross — the oldest known wild bird — as she reflects on the devastating impact of longline fishing. Combining beautifully loose illustration and hand-drawn animation with stark live-action footage from the Emperor Seamounts, the film exposes the horrific reality of industrial fishing.

I created the music and sound for this short, using traditional Polynesian instruments such as Hawaiian ukulele, slide guitar, Ipu Heke, and Pahu to give a sense of place and character to the film. The score supports the narrative while letting the dialogue take centre stage. Menacing foghorn-like brass represents the trawler boats, and nasty, distorted percussion punctuates the most harrowing moments.

For more on this project, visit Rumpus Animation’s site: https://rumpusanimation.com/work/wisdoms-tale/