Pukapuka Juju
ぷかぷかジュジュ
Synopsis
Mika dreams of the day when she can visit the beach with her father. Already overburdened by his day-to-day responsibilities, it seems like her father gets called in to do last-minute work every weekend. Even if he somehow manages a break, his crippling fear of the ocean would prevent him from truly enjoying the beach with his daughter. After yet another postponement, Mika plays in a kiddie pool alone, with only Juju, an inflatable dugong, to keep her company. But things take a turn for the bizarre when Juju comes to life and tells Mika that he will take her to the ocean in her father's place. As Mika hangs on to Juju for dear life, she wonders if her trip is more than what she bargained for. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Background
Pukapuka Juju is one of the four anime works that received funding from the 2011 Young Animator Training Project, titled Anime Mirai 2012. The anime short shared the Grand Prize in the Feature Films category of the 17th Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival in 2013, alongside the project's other shorts.