The Bird & the Whale is a gorgeous animated short film made in an unusual way. It was created using a nearly-forgotten form of animation, the paint-on-glass technique. The animators manipulate slow-drying oil paints on sheets of glass. The resulting animation has a unique luminous effects I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. The seven-minute-long film took 4,300 paintings, which were painted by a small team of female artists in Dublin, Ireland.

The Bird and the Whale is a story about a young whale struggling to find his voice. After straying too far from his family to explore a shipwreck, he discovers its sole survivor, a caged songbird. Together they struggle to survive while lost at sea.

The beautiful film was written and directed by Carol Freeman, produced by Jonathan Clarke, and features original music by Chris McLoughlin.

You can learn more about the film and the filmmakers on their website.

Note: I didn’t realize the video embed wouldn’t play in the U.S. To watch, please click here.