Animated Short Film Review: The Present

The Present tells the story of a teenage boy and his growing relationship with his dog. The opening scene shows the young boy playing a video game. The viewer can tell that the kid is addicted to playing by the way he responds to the light when his mother opens the blinds. The mother sets a plain box in front of him saying it is for him. The boy opens this present and out pops a puppy. Excited, the boy lifts up the small dog. The boy notices that the puppy only has three legs and suddenly looses interest. He rejects the dog and ignores its playful joy. During this scene, the puppy is playing with a ball while trying to make the boy play fetch with him. Finally, the boy is intrigued by the dog and decides to take him outside. To the viewer's surprise, the boy is on crutches with a missing leg.

To the naked eye, it would appear that the present is a dog. However, the real present for this boy is the motivation to have a life. Before the present, the boy would play video games. He didn't want to be on his feet because it reminded him of his crutches. He couldn't find joy in life until the puppy showed him it didn't matter if he had crutches. He has the capability to do more in life.

This animated short was put together very well. It has a clean look with simple textures that go along with its cartoon style. The characters were very well modeled an rigged. I especially love the dog and his energy when playing with the bouncy ball. The story was simple and surprised the viewers in the end. It is not until the end that the viewers realize the purpose of the boy's actions.

I wish to make heart warming films just like this. I love films that make you think and feel for the characters. I believe films should always have a good message behind their story. Sometimes the message is not as obvious as others, however, that just encourages the viewers to seek the message.

Although this was a very well animated story, there were some flaws. I believe that the fact that the story is unclear til the very end could be seen as confusing to the viewers. Another critic I would make is the details of the setting around them. Although it was animated very well creating insight to the boy's background information, the objects were seen as distracting to me.

This is a successfully made short film that has grown very well known in the film business. I hope to make a story like this as well that captures the hearts of others.