Episode 1: Round

Morning comes to the workshop. A breath wakes the music box and the ball sets off on its day. Three gears show it that big things turn slowly and sound low, and small things turn quickly and sound high. Three spools of wool spin as it passes, each with its own voice. A felt flower opens petal by petal and, as it closes, opens the way out. On the merry‑go‑round, the ball looks back on its day. At sunset it comes home and, with its weight, winds the music box for tomorrow.

Before you watch

• Running time: 6 min 11 s, in the usual order: morning, the breath, three corners, the merry‑go‑round and home.
• The voice: a single word, “Kitomo”, at 19 seconds.
• Today's sounds: wooden blocks (low, middle and high), spinning spools of wool, a kalimba, the music box, distant birds in the morning and crickets at nightfall.
• Volume: the same in every episode. The journey home is quieter, and the episode ends with three seconds of silence.
• The music steps back three times so you can hear the objects: at the breath, at the gears and at the flower.
• Light: steady throughout. Morning and sunset arrive slowly.
• The ball: it rolls and settles gently. Its drops are 2 cm at most, always onto felt, and you can see it almost all the time.

Minute by minute

Time	Moment	What happens and what you hear
0:00	Morning in the workshop	Light rises. The ball sleeps in its nest. Distant birds
0:19	The title	A voice says “Kitomo”. Two wooden taps and a little bell
0:26	The breath	Someone blows. The pinwheel turns, the music box plays, the hood folds back and the ball sets off
0:38	The workbench	The rails, the abacus steps (three beads left, two, one), the spoon wheel and the scales
1:23	The long ramp	A beechwood ramp carries the ball to the first corner
1:39	The three gears (sage)	The ball presses three keys and three blocks sound: low, middle and high. It drops into a little cup that sinks under its weight and turns three gears: the big one turns 3 times, the middle one 6 and the small one 12. The music steps back for 20 seconds
2:27	The strings	The ball rolls along two taut cotton strings
2:50	The three spools (powder blue)	Three spools of wool, sage, lilac and pink, spin as the ball passes, each with its own voice. Each step lands on a note of the kalimba
3:41	The strings	The strings again, on to the third corner
4:03	The felt flower (lilac)	A key makes the bud tremble. The flower opens petal by petal and the music steps back. As it closes, it opens the little gate
4:58	The merry‑go‑round	The ball rides a merry‑go‑round over the three moments of its day, which spring into motion as it passes
5:33	Home	The sun sets. A bucket wheel lifts the ball to its nest. Three clicks wind the music box
6:08	Good night	The box plays the theme, slower and slower. Distant crickets. Three seconds of silence

Watching together today

Three questions

• Before the gears: “What will happen when the ball presses the key?”
• Afterwards: “What did you hear, the big block or the small one?”
• At the gears: “Which one turns fastest?”

The rituals

• Blow along with the breath at the start.
• Count the abacus beads: three, two, one.
• At the end, say good night to the ball.

Afterwards

Find three things at home that roll, in different sizes: a ball, an orange, a kitchen roll. Roll them across the table and across a towel, and listen to how the sound changes.

Read the guide to watching together

Credits. Kitomo is created and directed by Mario Hernández. Every shot is built in code in Blender, written with AI agents under his direction. Ambient music generated with Lyria (Google); sound effects and title voice with ElevenLabs. Theme composed by Mario Hernández.