How to watch Pachyderme – is it streaming?

Pachyderme just got nominated for Best Animated Short at the Academy Awards – here are streaming details, plus if it’s on Netflix.

Pachyderme is a cartoon about a little girl who stays with her grandparents during the summer holidays in Provence, where she encounters a monster.

Marc Reus writes, Stéphanie Clément directs, and Christa Théret voices the narrator in the 11-minute short, which tackles some pretty heavy themes that we get into at the end of this article, so beware of SPOILERS AHEAD.

The movie was recently nominated for Best Animated Short at the 96th Academy Awards, where it will be in competition with Our Uniform, Letter to Pig, Ninety-Five Senses, and WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko.

How to watch Pachyderme – is it streaming?

Pachyderme isn’t currently available for streaming, but we’ll update this article as-and-when it is.

The trailer for the movie appeared on Vimeo on August 4, 2023 and can be viewed below. While Pachyderme played at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, won Best Short at the Manchester Animation Festival, and the Light in Motion Award for Best Short Animation at the Foyle Film Festival.

Is Pachyderme on Netflix?

No, Pachyderme isn’t currently streaming on Netflix.

We’ll update this article if that changes, but until then, you can check out a brief clip from the movie below:

What is Pachyderme about?

Here’s the official synopsis for Pachyderme: “Like every summer, Louise is entrusted to her grandparents for a few days of vacation in the countryside. Between the green grass in the garden, swimming in the lake, fishing with grandpa, everything seems as sweet as grandma’s strawberry pies. But this year, it will snow in the middle of summer and a monster will die.”

Clément recently told AnimationScoop about her reasons for making the film: “It all grew out from a shared interest for me and Marc Rius – scriptwriter and producer – to work together. We were seeking to tackle the delicate topic of incest. Based on psychological defense mechanisms such as repression and dissociation, we tried to build a story around an emotionally anesthetized character who struggles with their own memories.”

While much thought went into the depiction of Louise, with Clément explaining: “Louise is an unobtrusive, silent, overly well-behaved little girl, which is reflected by a frozen attitude, an inexpressive face and slow, withdrawn, tinged with hesitation, almost clumsy gestures.

“Her adult voice, almost monotone and disembodied, betrays the state of emotional anesthesia in which she is immersed. This is the fragmented, incomplete narrative of a woman who has repressed whole parts of her childhood. Some of her memories are clear and precise, while others remain nebulous. 

“Pachyderme tackles a very delicate and painful subject, which we had to treat in a roundabout way, at the risk of alienating some part of the audience. By using dreamlike imagery and symbolism, I think the viewer is made more receptive. It may even touch them more deeply.”

The Academy Awards are handed out on March 10, 2024 – you can read more about the Oscars here, or for details of all the nominees head here.