“It’s no sign of health to be well adjusted to a sick society.” That sentiment, commonly traced to spiritual philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, would not seem to be a guiding principle for an animated lark, but Alberto Vazquez’s Decorado is a work that runs on the sort of dark, adult humor and chaotic energy that captures existence amiss. In a city governed by a corporation called ALMA (Almighty Limitless Megacorporative Agency), an unemployed mouse named Arnold teeters on the verge of personal despair, until he begins to suspect he may be the victim of a vast conspiracy. There is no logical throughline to the world Vazquez has envisioned (along with the anthropomorphic animals, there are also talking mushrooms, as well as a cavorting demon and mermaid), yet the lack of stability seems to be the point. In Decorado, reality and fantasy blend in a world that’s being controlled on its population’s behalf. This is all captured in psychedelic visual flourishes, defined by pulsating colors and the occasional bursting eyeball. It becomes overwhelming, even at 95 minutes (this might have worked better as an episodic series). Still, Vazquez has undoubtedly captured the dissociative jitters of living in a time when an entity like Amazon, Inc. seems to increasingly govern every move we make.
(5/28/2026)
