Call it a short film or a long video, Kanye West is now a director.

Flames, feathers, and some fancy footwork by ballerinas stand out in the new, 34-minute clip conceived by the controversial rapper.

'Runaway' is essentially a mashup of two classic tales: Phoenix rising, and 'Pygmalion' (in which a wealthy benefactor helps make over, then falls in love with, a girl looked down upon by society).

Of the romance in the video, West recently told MTV News that previous relationships inspired him: "I wanted every girl I ever been in a relationship with to feel like a piece of her was being represented."

Selita Ebanks (pictured with her director earlier this month in Paris) plays a voluptuous woman-bird rescued from a fire by West. Under his watchful eye, she crawls among his menagerie of backyard pets, until he brings her indoors and inspires her to dance to his hypnotic beats, coaches her to drink from teacups, takes her to a surreal parade and introduces her to haughty pals at a dinner party.

But she's unhappy in "his world," and a feathery, sensual encounter between them ends with (spoiler alert! subtlety alert!) an explosion.

Given all the symbolism in 'Runaway,' it's irresistible to read into West's state of mind. He even overtly refers to media fallout after the infamous Taylor Swift debacle (telling his skittish bird-love, "First rule in this world, baby? Don't pay attention to anything you see in the news.").

Watch the entire 'Runaway' clip here, and keep your eyes open for a scary Thanksgiving entree, some truly adorable deer, and a giant Michael Jackson head.