Redhill

Redhill is an animated short that is adapted from a tale from Singapore. It is an episode part of the anthology series "Animated Tales of the World".

Summary
Set in a fishing village which is now Singapore's capital in modern day, an old woman lived in this hill with her grandson Nadim. Below the hill was a fishing village in which the seas are filled with garfish which were bigger than the ones in modern day. These types of fish can cut through the fishing net with one bite of their sharp teeth. Nadim asks his grandmother that a traveler has arrived with loads of gifts for the Raja. One of them goes to see the Raja as he uses a garfish's beak as a walking stick. The Raja is then amused when he sees the garfish's beak as an unusual prize to be paid for gold. The advisor then orders more fishermen to capture the same type of fish based on the unusual object that was paid for gold so that the palace could have more of these fabulous objects.

Meanwhile, the fishermen arrive to the seas where they usually capture the garfish in which they manage to capture lots of them in which the Raja is given more of the garfish beaks to his palace. The Raja is disgusted that more fish beaks are delivered after seeing flies buzzing around them as he orders the fishermen to return to their own village. The villagers attempt to return back to their own village, but something was not easy on their way back home. The massive capture of garfish angers them for reducing the large population. As a result, the fish begin attacking the boat and cutting the net with their sharp teeth. Nadim and the fishermen were able to escape the angry fish into an island.

The next day, the villagers were trapped; every time they try to take a boat out for fishing, the garfish began attacking, even the soldiers were no match for their sharp teeth on their beaks. As a result, the villagers, who were unsure of what to do, became hungrier and the Raja was forced to act. The Raja prepares to fight back against the garfish, but Nadim tells the Raja because the reason why the garfish began fighting back is because the population is decreasing, due to a number of them hunted for their beaks. To protect the villagers, Nadim's grandmother asks her grandson about banana stems to build a barrier to stop the garfish from entering.

Nadim prevents the soldiers from preparing to fight the garfish in which he tells the villagers to build a barrier of banana stems to capture the garfish which causes their beaks to be stuck on stems. Meanwhile, the villagers decide to get banana stems to build a barrier to prevent the garfish from entering land. The advisor tells the soldier to kill the garfish when their beaks get stuck on the barrier, in which Nadim prevents the soldiers from doing so. Nadim warns the soldiers, the villagers, the advisor, and the Raja that there will soon be a low tide, which will cause all the fish to be stranded on land. Nadim was able to free the garfish before the low tide so that they will not return to fight against the villagers. The Raja orders the general to send the soldiers to free the garfish. The Raja then tells the villagers that Nadim has saved the village.

Meanwhile, the Raja tells the advisor to tell all the soldiers to use banana stems as weapons and shields. Nadim suddenly sees a soldier chopping down a banana tree in which he warns a soldier to stop chopping the tree. The advisor then explains that the Raja has told his soldiers to chop down all the banana trees and use them as weapons and shields. Nadim tells the advisor and the Raja to stop the destruction of banana trees, but they refuse to listen. Ignoring his protests, the Raja, the advisor, and his soldiers, prepare to attack Nadim and his grandmother at night as the two manage to escape from the ambush. Realising that Nadim and his grandmother are not there, the advisor and his henchmen decide to find Nadim and his grandmother. Meanwhile, the ground begins to shake as the earth opens up to swallow the advisor and his henchmen, causing them to fall to their deaths. Red lava suddenly emerges from earth to cover the hill, which is caused for chopping down too many banana trees.

The advisor, the Raja, and his men were never seen again as they died by falling into the red lava. As a result, Nadim and his grandmother never returned to the village when the lava appeared. While many people think that the hill opening up is caused by an earthquake, most say that it is a retaliatory act of an angry Earth that punished the people for abusing the Earth's natural resources. Ever since in modern day, the hill that the sister and boy are on is now known as "Redhill" (also known as "Bukit Merah").

Voice Cast

 * Chong Chee Yin - The Sister


 * Evelyn Kuek Yee Lin - The Boy


 * Abbe Holmes - Nadim


 * Evelyn Krape - Nadim's Grandmother


 * Stig Wemyss - The Raja / Fisherman #2


 * Lawrence Mah - The Advisor


 * Nigel Rodrigues - The Traveler / Fisherman #1