Moths to Flame

First off, Bunny is a rather entertaining short film, with a pleasing animation style and good music. The whole thing induces a bit of nostalgia that reminds me of watching animated movies as a child. On the surface, it almost seems nothing more than a quick animated short that prefaces a Disney movie, but with some closer examination there seems to be more meat to it.

The moth in the short is constantly trying to get closer to the kitchen light, much to the annoyance of the rabbit. Eventually, the moth's persistence earns it a quick swat with a ladle and then being baked into the rabbit's cake. Our bunny falls asleep, the moth dealt with, and waits for the cake to finish baking. What seemed to be the end of the moth, however, is instead something quite different. Similar to what Buechner writes about in The Gospel as Fairy Tale chapter, the other world is found in the ordinary. In the same way the Pevensie children find their way into Narnia through a wardrobe, the rabbit finds it way towards the light from her oven.

This also seems to me like a metaphor for death. Going towards the light is often used in English as something that a person about to die sees, perhaps indicative of ascension to Heaven, or whichever afterlife they happen to believe in. The bunny sees the light emanating from her oven, and curious, investigates it. Rather than trying to avoid death, she embraces it. She's ready to join the moths in going towards the light, because she has a certainty that it's something new and good.