Within the crystal chambers of a glittering palace, a magnificent bird performs for its Emperor--its plumage a blaze of colour. A blackbird, watching enviously, strives to acquire what he so desperately covets, only to discover that a golden cage cannot vie with the open skies. Innovative mixed-media techniques--cutouts, colour pencil renderings on cels and paper, multiple exposures, and backlit perforated backgrounds--combine with human imagination to produce this visually stunning animation short. Film without words.