Do you believe that animated films are made exclusively for kids? ‘No,’ would be my answer. Animation films have made us feel, think, laugh and connect with people from all over the world in ways that neither writing nor other movies could. Disney Pixar Animation Studios’ short film Piper (2016) is one such gem.
Directed and written by Alan Barillaro, the six-minute short film is hailed for winning millions of hearts since its release in 2016. In the 89th Academy Awards, Piper won the Best Animated Short Film.
Having worked on the animation teams for Monsters Inc., Brave, and The Incredibles, Alan directed Piper for the first time. He created a beautiful baby bird for the short film, which is a sequel to Finding Nemo and is titled ‘Finding Dory.’
It is a simple film, depicting the hardships of a small sandpiper who ventures from her nest in search of food without the help of its mother. However, the bird learns that it is not as simple as it appears.
The film explains about learning to be self-sufficient, appreciating your surroundings and confronting your worst fear, no matter how hard they may seem.
This short film’s cinematography deserves a lot of appreciation. It is impressive to note that Alan took three years to complete this beautiful masterpiece. It took a year for the director to come up with the main character Piper. He paid close attention to every detail and conducted extensive research on the beaches of Northern California for months before shooting began.
Alan also studied baby birds and feathers in depth. Every single feather has to move in response to the environment. Each bird in Piper had over 7 million feathers on them and a billion pebbles that made up the beach.
To understand this, one must notice that the sand, water, birds, bubbles, and even the feathers of birds have their own character. The film was created by hand by a group of 40 animators who refused to use simulation software.
The fact that the film is told without a single dialogue makes the film more appealing to watch and enjoy. Adrian Belew, a well-known guitarist and vocalist, composed the score which is simple and builds the pace of the story.
I would be shocked if someone claimed to have seen Piper and not enjoyed it. It is simply not possible! Everything about this short film is perfect.
If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch it now. There is no harm in watching it again if you’ve already seen it.
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