Dogs have been regarded as man’s best and closest friends throughout history. And it indeed is true. Dogs will teach us a lot about life while they are with us. They show us the importance of love, forgiveness, living in the moment and being grateful for all our loved ones.
Patrick Osborne’s six-minute animated short titled Feast (2016) from Walt Disney Animation Studios tells the tale of a man’s love life as seen through the eyes of his best friend and dog, Winston. The loving bond between the two is shown beautifully as the film progresses. Feast is played as a prelude to the film Big Hero 6.
As the film begins, we are introduced to a cute stray puppy. Then we see a man trying to feed the puppy with a French fry. The man then adopts the dog and gives him the name Winston. The journey of a beautiful bond begins from here. The owner takes him home and starts to treat him to table scraps on top of his bowl of dry dog food.
The film’s tone shifts even as the comfort food remains the same, and Feast piles plate after plate of delicious goodness into the centre of the frame to symbolise Winston’s delighted appetite for the joy of dining with a loved one.
Winston has quite the daily feast over the months. The owner even takes him to a restaurant one day.
Eventually, his owner runs into the woman who soon becomes his lover. As the new girlfriend begins to dominate his owner’s attention, the plot unfolds. Winston no longer gets attention from his owner like before. His owner spends more time with his new lover and he no longer gets food that delighted his appetite.
Winston for the first time in his life experiences loneliness. The owner used to show Winston his love by giving him quality time and food, but his new girlfriend changed all of that.
However, gradually the couple breaks up and Winston gets his favourite meals again from his owner. The entire time, the camera stays away from the upper portions of the people and this is to show everything from Winston’s perspective. Now, for the first time, the camera focuses on the owner’s sad face. Winston notices his master’s dilemma. The dog understands he can’t completely enjoy the table scraps without his owner being happy.
Well, I will not reveal how the story ends as it’s worth your 6-minutes.
The film brilliantly showcases the themes of love, happiness, loneliness, and above all the true selfless bond that Winston shares with his owner.
It is no surprise to me that the Feast won Academy Award for Best Animated Short film in 2015.
