Shelter 2016 - A Quick Review, *Spoilers Ahead*

So, have you heard about Shelter 2016? Well, practically speaking it’s a music video. However, from another angle, it’s a 7-minute animated short film that is a mixture of family and sci-fi elements. I watched it and here I am with a quick review on this project.

So, without any further ado let us get going with-

Shelter 2016 – The Narrative

Shelter 2016 Credit Porter Robinson and Madeon song

So, this movie is about Rin, a 17-year-old girl (voiced by Sachika Misawa), living solo in this super cool simulation. Rin has this tablet that lets her doodle scenes, and bam! They come to life in a 3D world. Life’s all chill but lonely until one day she starts seeing scenes she didn’t draw – it turns out, it’s her 10-year-old self in Tokyo.

And guess what? There’s some unimaginable stuff going down in the newsreels and images she sees. There’s this humongous planet-sized thing heading straight for Earth. Rin’s dad, Shigeru, being the awesome dad he is, decides to build a spaceship just for her. He wipes her memory clean, launches her into space right before the disaster, and hooks her up to the simulation for the past seven years.

The movie concludes by giving the audience a not-so-satisfying sight where we learn what is Rin’s current situation. Talk about a wild ride!

Things You Might Like From Shelter 2016

The Awesome Score And The Music Video-

So, back on October 14, 2016, Robinson spilled the beans on Twitter, saying he teamed up with a Japanese animation studio A-1 Pictures for over a year to drop an animated music video for “Shelter.” You can catch it on Porter Robinson’s YouTube channel, and it hit the screen on October 18, 2016, thanks to a tag-team effort with Crunchyroll.

Turns out, Robinson was vibing with A-1 Pictures because they’re the ones who produced Anohana, a show that totally connected with his artistic vibes.

The music video? Well, it’s like a mini-movie based on a story Robinson whipped up. The video actually perfectly sits with the music, making it rewatchable again and again. How awesome is that?

Credit Porter Robinson & Madeon – Shelter (Official Video) (Short Film with A-1 Pictures & Crunchyroll)

The Intriguing Background of The Movie

Okay, so this movie’s got some seriously cool stuff going on. Picture a 17-year-old named Rin, living all by herself in this futuristic simulation. And get this—she’s like the boss of the virtual world, using a tablet to draw scenes that come to life in 3D. It’s like the ultimate DIY world.

Rin’s been chilling in this peaceful, albeit kinda lonely setup for years. But then, out of the blue, she starts seeing scenes she didn’t even create. Talk about a plot twist! Suddenly, she’s watching herself as a 10-year-old in Tokyo, adding a whole bunch of complexity and nostalgia to the story.

Hold on, it gets even wilder. There’s this huge, moon-sized planet on a crash course with Earth, and we find out about it through newsreels and images.

Rin’s dad, Shigeru, steps in to bring the feels—he’s all about making sure his daughter’s happy. He goes full dad mode, building a one-person spaceship with life support and wiping Rin’s memory clean, showing off some serious protective dad skills.

But here’s the kicker: Shigeru’s not just winging it. He’s got this genius plan to program memories and a letter to pop up in Rin’s life later on. It’s like he’s playing the long game, hoping she’ll get it all once she’s grown up. The movie hits its peak with Rin getting linked to the simulation right before the planet smash, launching into space.

And that leaves us, the audience, hanging with a ton of curiosity about what went down during her seven years out there. In a nutshell, this movie’s a mix of sci-fi, family vibes, and personal growth—it’s a real head-scratcher but in the best way possible.