Whale

Whale is a wordless animated short for children aged 4 to 9 about a big whale who would like friends, but whose huge size and broad grin frighten everyone away.

The whale swims proudly through the deep blue sea. But whenever he comes near, the other creatures are afraid. Two orange fish and a starfish, and then a little shoal of yellow striped fish, take one look at his enormous smile and swim off as fast as they can. Even a turtle ends up nervously close to his big white teeth.

Up at the surface, a seagull lands on the whale's back, and the whale finds something he can do that no one else can. With a puff of his blowhole, he sends a fountain of water shooting into the sky, and the bird goes up with it.

By the end, the whale is floating on the waves at sunset, with the turtle, the fish and the starfish riding along on his back and the seagull sitting on top of his fountain.

The film is drawn in soft, painterly colours and has no speech. It is short, about 4 minutes.

It is a gentle way to talk with children about not judging others by how they look, and about how being different can be something to share. Parents can add that Allah made every creature, big or small, in its own special way.