A group of children build a block ship and suddenly the world becomes ocean. That's the entire premise, and it's enough because Ghibli understands that imagination doesn't need permission or explanation. The film moves at the speed of a child's attention, unhurried and genuinely curious about what happens next when you stop asking questions and start playing. This is what comfort actually feels like on screen: not saccharine, just the specific warmth of watching kids discover that the game is already real if you stop doubting it.

A nursery school boy named Shigeru watches the boys a year older than him build a ship out of blocks, and he wants to be part of it. The finished ship is called the Elephant and Lion. Soon the children notice that their surroundings have turned into a sea, with fish swimming around them. The boys load fishing rods and ropes aboard and set off to hunt a whale. Out on the water, some of the children want to harpoon their quarry, some want to photograph it, and many are frightened and just want to go home. Based on a story from the picture book Iya Iya En, this short adventure film was made to screen at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.