PORTLAND FESTIVAL OF CINEMA, ANIMATION & TECHNOLOGY 2023 REVIEW! Joël Gibbs’ animated short, The Moon Followed Me to Falmouth, is the story of a young adventurer sets to Kurt Rosenberg’s song of the same name. Because of economic hardship, our young protagonist must leave his home of Falmouth and set sail on adventures across the high sea until he finally meets his true love, an island maiden.
The song, The Moon Followed Me to Falmouth, was written by Rosenberg after he had traveled across the world to Falmouth, England. He looked up and saw that the moon had followed him there from his home in the United States. He immediately phoned home to record his idea for a sea shanty on his answering machine and soon completed the tune with Tim Gorman’s arrangements and Will Keating’s vocals.

“…leave his home of Falmouth and set sail on adventures across the high sea…”
Accompanying the haunting song is the gorgeous animation of the production house Armada. The animation is akin to the brushed watercolor painting with innovative use of 2D line art and 3D modeling as its backgrounds shift like the old multi-plane cameras. Though fully CG, the short feels like traditional animation.
The Moon Followed Me to Falmouth shows that no matter where you are in the world, you’re never far from home and those you love.
The Moon Followed Me to Falmouth screened at the 2023 Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology. For more information about The Moon Followed Me to Falmouth, visit the official website of Kurt Rosenberg Music.