Pinta Studio has been generating a lot of buzz since its inception, with projects like the youngest executives at Alibaba and full VR storytelling. Despite the initial attention and curiosity, however, no major works have emerged yet. Their PR strategies are similar to other teams, leading people to lose interest quickly after the initial excitement. Now, finally, their work is out in the open. My general expectation for domestic content is this: I don’t believe it’s inherently good. Even if the technical quality is decent, the chance of having a “soul†is nearly zero. This isn’t just about the team itself but also the cultural and economic environment in China. A project depends not only on the team’s effort but also on partners, regulations, and audience expectations — it's all part of the historical process. Of course, from another angle, although the possibility of soul is close to zero, it’s not completely gone. After all, there are 1.3 billion people in the country, so the sample size is large enough. Occasionally, we still see some works that stand out from the norm and can be truly enchanting. What makes me hopeful is that the old man who picks up dreams might be one of those rare exceptions. The first scene of “The Old Man Who Picks Up Dreams†isn’t particularly colorful — it could even be seen as falling within the range of “domestic-level†production. There's no skybox, a car with strange proportions (a cartoonish scale that feels unexpected), a concrete floor with rough textures, and a bridge with sharp edges. The story is told using a technique similar to a theatrical spotlight effect. However, the spotlight here is too broad, resulting in weak contrast (the shadows are very light, unlike traditional spotlights). As a result, the overall feel is simple and not very impressive. Still, the emotion of a depressed young person dropping his guitar is somewhat conveyed, though not clearly — the artistic style has an inherent limitation in emotional expression. The second scene remains relatively normal. The falling guitar in the air immediately brings to mind the familiar online game “Tiao Bao.†The sky is filled with moons, but the contrast with the previous scene’s spotlight effect makes it hard to connect the two. The old man picks up the broken guitar, and the dogs, now independent, ask, “Dream Collector.†The third scene showcases the daily life of the elderly, and it’s quite impressive. The first impression comes from the sound — every action, from opening a drawer to flipping things, ringing bells, footsteps, and tool collisions, is perfectly timed. This scene accurately recreates the feeling of real-world silence through slightly messy sound effects. In most films, such background noise would be removed, but here it adds depth. It reflects the team’s dedication, especially for an animated movie. This scene shows the old man repairing discarded items. The fourth scene is very interesting. I believe the Pinta team made great efforts here and experimented a lot. It’s likely to change in the future. This scene aims to convey the feeling of time passing — day by day, seasons changing, rain, snow, etc. However, the transitions between scenes are abrupt, and the elderly appear in different directions, making it hard for viewers to know where to look. In VR, finding the right way to show time in just a few minutes is still uncertain. Personally, I think fading patterns might work better. But dealing with environmental changes like weather or lighting can be tricky. Perhaps having people and scenes appear and disappear asynchronously could help. Still, strong control over the overall experience is needed. It's worth noting that the soundtrack here is excellent, perfectly matching the mood. However, I didn't fully understand the last part of the scene, especially during the second observation. The final transition fades out gradually, and the old man disappears while walking. The sky rains meteors, and he seems deeply sad. I’m not sure what the intention was here; ordinary viewers probably wouldn’t get it. In my opinion, this section feels like an unnecessary addition — it doesn’t significantly affect the overall experience. (After Pinta mentioned it, I realized many people think the old man feels he has given up on his dreams, too busy to feel frustrated.) In the fifth scene, the old man is reminded by a snowflake that it's time to repair the last item. He walks into a magical room behind the conveyor belt, where every abandoned treasure floats. It's also Christmas time, and it's time to bring the dreams of the world’s souls back to forgotten memories. This section is quite satisfying, with plenty of room for improvement. For example, when the old man pulled up his cape and tossed it in the air, I expected it to wrap him and turn into a Christmas suit, rather than just blocking the view. The gift collection could be more dazzling, and the time and space wormholes could be more ambitious. But the message was delivered clearly. It’s possible that the project managers imposed strict limitations on the designers, preventing them from adding more effects. The main story ends here, and the final scene is the closing touch. The inheritance of dreams is a deep-rooted desire in everyone’s heart — simple but touching. When Dad picks up his daughter and strums the strings, it feels like pulling at the hearts of everyone watching. However, due to the unusual nature of the suit, the initial reaction was mixed. If there were more obvious features, like a rock-and-roll hairstyle or a pen on the chest, viewers might have connected more easily with the lonely youth from the first scene. Overall, despite some flaws — like the clear separation between scenes, which lacks the smooth flow of something like "Dear Angelica" — the film has achieved the most important part: touching the viewer emotionally. This kind of instinctive connection is powerful and hard to find in today’s standardized VR content. The emotional buildup and rhythm control required to create such an impact were carefully crafted, showing genuine effort and sincerity. But what matters even more is how long this kind of work can sustain itself in today’s market. Pinta has a lot of content that doesn’t interfere with the story, which is good, but it may not satisfy all audiences. They’ve also started developing derivatives and peripherals, but the difference between surrounding products and direct sales is minimal. Regardless, from a market perspective, performance remains to be seen. We hope they get enough space to continue following their creative vision. Their new work, “Taste of Illusion,†has been submitted to the next Sundance Film Festival. I hope everything goes well! Ceramic Rod,Ceramic Bar,Zro2 Ceramic Stick,Alumina Ceramic Rod Yixing Guangming Special Ceramics Co.,Ltd , https://www.yxgmtc.com
