Synopsis

An enigmatic, faceless hunter sets out across an immense and otherworldly wilderness. Carrying a pack and moving with determined but uncertain purpose, the traveler passes through forests, mountain ranges, icy waters, and fjord-like landscapes. The journey continually shifts between beauty and unease, giving the animation a dreamlike sense of searching without a clear destination. Its striking hand-drawn style transforms Ezra Vine's lyrics about optimism, confusion, and the blurred boundary between desire and reality into a surreal expedition through a landscape that feels both mythical and distinctly New Zealand-inspired.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video is an animated collaboration between Robert Wallace of Parallel Teeth and Swedish animator Jonatan Jönsson of Lowlands.

• It was created with funding from NZ On Air Music, a New Zealand initiative that supports local music projects.

• The video's central traveler is described in contemporary coverage as a huntsman or hunter, while other descriptions emphasize the character's lack of direction. That ambiguity mirrors Ezra Vine's description of the song as being about optimism, confusion, and the uncertain line between imagination and reality.

• The fantastical scenery of mountains, forests, and fjords has been noted for its resemblance to New Zealand's natural environment, even though the video presents it as an imagined world.

• The animated piece runs for approximately 3 minutes and 19 seconds.

• The video was released online in August 2013, during the rollout of "Celeste," Ezra Vine's debut single and the title track of his first EP.

• "Celeste" became the most-played song supported by NZ On Air's Making Tracks funding in the program's 2012-13 group. By 2016, its combined radio, television, YouTube, Vimeo, and Spotify plays had passed 30 million.

• Its wider reach was helped by a TV One theme-tune synchronization and later exposure through Spotify playlists.

• The video was featured through Vimeo's Staff Picks network, helping the animation reach audiences beyond New Zealand's independent music scene.