For the Birds (film)
For the Birds | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ralph Eggleston |
Written by | Ralph Eggleston |
Produced by | Karen Dufilho-Rosen |
Starring | Ralph Eggleston |
Edited by | Jennifer Taylor Tom Freeman |
Music by | Riders in the Sky |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 3 min. 27 sec. |
For the Birds (stylized as for the birds) is a 2000 computer animated short film produced by Pixar and written and directed by Ralph Eggleston. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2001.[1] It premiered on June 5, 2000, at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France,[2] and was shown alongside the theatrical release of the 2001 Disney/Pixar feature film Monsters, Inc.[2]
It is also available on home video versions of the film. In 2012, the short was re rendered into 3D, and it was theatrically re released alongside the 3D re-release of Monsters, Inc.[3] The short was also released in 3D on Monsters, Inc. Blu-ray 3D, on February 19, 2013.[4]
Plot
A small blue bird lands on a powerline and makes himself comfortable, only for a second bird to land close by. The two birds start squabbling, and are gradually joined by 13 others of the same species, all squabbling for space.
A large, awkward heron-like bird honks and waves at them from a nearby telephone pole, interrupting the squabble. The 15 little birds start imitating his plumage and honk, mockingly, until the bigger bird again calls to them, causing the little birds to scoot further down the wire and quietly gossip about it.
Undeterred, the bigger bird flies and perches between the flock of smaller birds, but his weight causes the powerline to sag almost to the ground. The smaller birds slide down and are squished together against the big bird's sides, one angrily pecking the big bird and making it fall over backwards, hanging upside down. Egged on by the other 14, the two little birds in the middle start pecking the big bird's toes, which release one-by-one from the wire. One little bird realizes what is about to happen, and warns the others. They stop too late, and the last toe of the big bird releases, snapping the wire like a slingshot and flinging the little birds up in a cloud of feathers.
The bigger bird lands unharmed on the ground, and plays with the floating feathers until one of the smaller birds, now naked, crashes beside him. He offers the little bird a leaf, but the rest, also naked, land nearby. The big bird laughs in embarrassment while the rest hide behind him. The film ends with a splat of bird droppings containing the words "the end" landing on the screen.
Awards
For the Birds won the following awards:
- 2002: 74th Academy Awards—Best Short Animated Film[1]
- 2001: Vancouver Effects and Animation Festival—Animated Computer 3D Short
- 2001: Anima Mundi Animation Festival—Best Film x2
- 2001: Chicago International Children's Film Festival-Short Film or Video—Animation—Second Place
- 2000: Annie Award—Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Short Subject
- 2000: Sitges—Catalan International Film Festival—Best Animated Short Film
Easter eggs
A reference to For the Birds was put in the 2006 Disney–Pixar movie Cars. When Lightning McQueen is in the back of Mack, they drive down the freeway and pass a section of power line with the birds resting on top, which is accompanied by the squeaks the birds made to communicate with each other.[5] A similar appearance occurred in Inside Out, while Riley and her family are driving to San Francisco at the beginning of the movie.[6]
The birds can be found in the main hub world for the Kinect game Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure.
A cameo appears in The Star, where a wall with resting birds are seen distracting each other (one even falls).
Releases
For the Birds is one of two short films on the DVD and VHS release of Monsters, Inc. The film was also released as part of Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 in 2007.
References
- ^ a b "The 74th Academy Awards (2002) Nominees and Winners". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. March 22, 2002. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Linder, Brian (February 13, 2002). "Oscar Spotlight: Animated Short Film". IGN. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
- ^ Tipton, Janelle (December 19, 2012). "Behind the Scenes of 'Monsters, Inc. 3D', 'Oz' Trailer Debut in Theaters". The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
With this release, audiences also get to see "For the Birds" the original short that ran with Monsters, Inc., take off in 3D, as well as a brand-new trailer for Disney's March release Oz The Great and Powerful!
- ^ "Monsters, Inc. 3D Blu-ray Detailed". Blu-ray.com. January 4, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ Hill, Jim (December 8, 2007). "A special "Where's WALL-E" edition of Why For?". Jim Hill Media. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
- ^ Dyce, Andrew (June 20, 2015). "'Inside Out' Easter Eggs, Trivia & Pixar References". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
External links
- 2000 films
- 2000 short films
- 2000 computer-animated films
- 2000s American animated films
- 2000s animated short films
- 2000 comedy films
- American films
- American animated short films
- Animated films about birds
- Animated films without speech
- Best Animated Short Academy Award winners
- Best Animated Short Subject Annie Award winners
- Pixar short films
- Animated films about animals
- 2000 animated films
- 2000s Disney animated short films