Pixar’s “Borrowed Time” is an exquisitely beautiful short film.
It’s very rare that a short animated film can capture our hearts. While films like Inside Out and Monsters Inc. can wreck us, is it possible for a short film to do the same? Apparently yes, because an animated film by two Pixar designers called Borrowed Time has done just that.
The short, about a rough and tough cowboy who finally comes to terms with a terrible mistake he made in his past, is co-directed by Pixar animators Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj, who worked on their short film in between working on Pixar films Inside Out, Brave, and The Good Dinosaur. All in all, the short took more than five years to finish!
This film has been racking up festival wins all year, and now you can watch it for FREE on Vimeo.
The film is darker than most, which was the point. As the directors explained to Variety:
“In America, animation has largely become synonymous with kids’ films, whereas elsewhere around the world it’s celebrated as a medium that can be used to tell any story. We feel this cultural difference limits the potential audience and range of themes in American animation, and is a large part of why we chose to make Borrowed Time.”
This is a brilliant idea, but not entirely a new one. Many independent filmmakers have been using animation as a meant to tell a very serious story. It’s just wonderful that we get to see the geniuses at Pixar take the same approach.
This film is a must-watch, but keep a handkerchief nearby. It might create some waterworks, and be warned: Borrowed Tine will be on Vimeo for a limited time, so watch it soon!
[Hello Giggles]
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What did you think of the short film? Would you like to see Pixar do more of these serious short films? Does their style of animation lend itself towards serious storytelling? Is animation, in general, a good medium for telling dark and serious stories?
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Anyone around 50 years old and under were probably raised on PBS children’s shows, muppets and animation. I think animation is a great way to present short films – especially with the current abilities of computer animation and editing software. Short films are limited by budgets, but with animation any scenario dreamed up by the creator can be created on the computer without massive budget increases.
In this film the direction and cinematography were amazing! I was a little underwhelmed with the story – it was not on par with the visuals and the Pixar name – but still, a great first effort and I hope we see a lot more short films come from Pixar.