The ten music videos add up to tell the story of "One EskimO," who lives in his igloo with true love Little Feather. The villain of the piece is Mr. Top Hat, an evil being who controls the world via a crystal ball. Mr. Top Hat snatches Little Feather away, causing One EskimO to head out on a perilous journey to save her. Assisting him are his animal friends Monkey, Giraffe, and Penguin. If this sounds a little kid-oriented, trust me when I say that it is not. The emotions of loss are portrayed quite seriously, and some of the middle episodes (particularly the terrific eighth and ninth installments) are dark, as One EskimO faces some genuine danger.

The animation was done by Passion Pictures, best known for their work on the Gorillaz music videos. In fact, I immediately thought of Gorillaz as I watched the first episode. While not as blatantly edgy, the animation here has that same colorful, expressive sense. For a character who never talks, One EskimO is surprisingly sympathetic, and the dangers he faces are stylized so as to be both haunting and beautiful. I also liked how the animation blends the beauty of One EskimO's world with the incessant darkness of Mr. Top Hat's. The contrast is very effective in pulling you into the story.

One EskimO (the band) is the creation of lead singer Kristian Leontiou. It's not your typical rock band. Electric guitars and drum sets are there, but used sparingly. The music has an atmospheric, highly emotional quality to it, as well as meaningful lyrics and catchy melodies. Imagine a slightly stripped-down (but less derivative) One Republic and you're on the right track. I found the songs to be arresting. The first episode features a song called "Astronauts." Have you ever had one of those moments where you hear a song for the first time and instantly fall in love with it? Well, I had one of them. That the video so perfectly evokes the emotions of the music only makes it better. I liked all of the tunes so much that I bought the One EskimO CD afterward which, of course, is the hoped-for intention of a project like this.

"The Adventures of One EskimO" can be viewed in several places: iTunes, Amazon Video on Demand, CinemaNow, and via WBShop.com. It's worth a look for animation fans and/or anyone interesting in discovering some innovative new pop/rock music. I highly recommend it.