The Mission

Documentary · National Geographic

His childhood is on film; some of which he shot himself. Very little after that is — not the months before he left, not the island. What exists of the Sentinelese is archival, from when landing there was still permitted. It’s forbidden now, as it should be. His parents declined to be interviewed on camera, so his father remembering him had to be painted too.

We painted the Sentinelese only as John might have glimpsed them — reference for one man's impression, never a record. Every frame was a question about how much was ours to show.

Nobody was on that beach — no camera, and not his father.
So we painted it.

103 min · 20 min of animation · 2023

Poster for The Mission: seen from above, a wave washes over a sandy beach where footprints lead past the shadow of a cross, and a dark red stain spreads in the water. The tagline reads "There's a fine line between faith and madness" — Nat Geo

"He was living a Boys' Own adventure. If we could bring the audience into that experience through animation, we'd be in a sense keeping with John himself."

Jesse Moss, director · Vanity Fair

A vision

Excerpt

One man’s impression

Concept

A wave curls and breaks in white foam over deep blue water — The Mission, National Geographic.
North Sentinel Island sits low and dark on the horizon across a green sea — The Mission, National Geographic.
From behind an islander's shoulder, a lone kayaker comes ashore on the beach — The Mission, National Geographic.
An islander's face watches from behind palm fronds — The Mission, National Geographic.
Seen from below the surface, a kayak glides overhead through blue-green water — The Mission, National Geographic.
A fire glows on the shore of a dark island at night — The Mission, National Geographic.
The sun sets behind the island on the eve of John Chau's journey, the sky fading from deep purple to red and gold — The Mission, National Geographic.
John Chau stands in shallow water beneath the Milky Way, arms open — The Mission, National Geographic.
A face marked with white paint peers out through dense green leaves — The Mission, National Geographic.
Two islanders stand on the beach beneath the palms, looking out to sea — The Mission, National Geographic.
John Chau paddles his kayak toward the dark mass of North Sentinel Island — The Mission, National Geographic.
Split above and below the waterline, John Chau's legs stand on a coral reef — The Mission, National Geographic.

Nobody was
on that beach

Final Frames

John Chau stands at the water's edge beneath the Milky Way, arms open, his outline lit gold — The Mission, National Geographic.
Small fires glow along the shore of North Sentinel island at night, reflected in the water — The Mission, National Geographic.
In John's vision, the island becomes a dark, castle-like form against red-orange flames, a hell for souls he believed were lost — The Mission, National Geographic.
In John's vision, the islanders' earthly forms blow away into streaks of light, rising to heaven — The Mission, National Geographic.
John lies back with his head tipped upside down, his face lit in cool blue — The Mission, National Geographic.
A full moon glows through dark tree branches, a small, ringtail cat silhouetted among them — The Mission, National Geographic.
Silhouetted figures stand at the end of a pier at night as a pale pink moon hangs over the water — The Mission, National Geographic.
A hand reaches toward a painting of a tall ship under full sail on rough seas — The Mission, National Geographic.
Seen from high above, John swims as a tiny figure across the open ocean toward the island — The Mission, National Geographic.
A school of pink fish crosses the frame, almost hiding John as he swims up toward the surface behind them — The Mission, National Geographic.
John's father Patrick reads a copy of John's plan — The Mission, National Geographic.
John's eyes glow in orange firelight as embers drift across his face — The Mission, National Geographic.

A father’s requiem

Full Sequence

The stories
he grew up on

John grew up reading Christian comics from the sixties and seventies. This one was made in their style for the film's release — his story, in the form that shaped it.

Comic book cover for The Mission: a small yellow plane flies over North Sentinel Island, ringed by surf and clouds, beneath the title in bold retro lettering — The Mission, National Geographic.
A comic spread of John Chau's journey: he flies to the Andaman Islands, rides an auto-rickshaw through monsoon rain, and waits in a Port Blair safe house reading, writing and praying. A caption reads "I've been in a safe house in Port Blair for the p
A night-time comic spread in deep blues: John meets the fishermen, pays them, and sets out by boat at 4 a.m. toward the island, where fires burn along the shore. The final caption reads "My life will be in God's hands." — The Mission, National Geogra
A comic spread at dawn: John writes a prayer in his journal, packs a first-aid kit and a waterproof Bible, then kayaks away from the fishing boat toward the island's north shore. A caption reads "Holy Spirit please open the hearts of the tribe to rec

“The animation drives both the film’s most intimate, father-son strands and its most exciting sequences.”

Vanity Fair

“Loved it. This is a Conradian voyage to the edge of the world, and it takes you into psychological territory I find incredibly compelling.”

Film Week, LAist

Credits

Directors
Amanda McBain · Jesse Moss

Animation Director
Jason Carpenter

Animation Producer
Holly Stone

Animation Art Design
Hannah McNally

Concept Design
Hannah McNally · David Navas

Animation Team
Hanna Brewerton · Anna Bron · Flora Caulton · Tash Dupker · Tom Fisher · Martha Halliday, Christine Le · Fernando Lopez Del Hierro · Hannah McNally · Goyo Moreno · David Navas, Hannah O’Brien · Michael O’Donnell · Claire Schlaikjer · Andrew Whyte

Compositing
Jason Carpenter · Tom Fisher · Hannah McNally · Michael O’Donnell · Claire Schlaikjer

Animation Studio
Bright Eye

Production
Lightbox Entertainment

Distribution
National Geographic


World Premiere
Telluride Film Festival, 2023


Nominations

Cinema Eye Honors
Outstanding Achievement in Visual Design · Animation · 2024

Critics' Choice Documentary Awards
Best Documentary Feature · 2024


Festivals

Toronto · BFI London · IDFA · Hamptons · Chicago · and 15 others · 2023-24

Next project

All These Sons

Documentary · Concordia