Conor Finnegan’s delightful coming of age short dives into the troubled psyche of a bird with a problem of existential proportions: he’s afraid to fly. To make matters worse, he’s in love with a girl who’s headed south for the winter. What to do, what to do.
In addition to an engaging storyline and endearing voice work, the animation technique is notable. Nearly all of the characters, sets and props were practically built. Conor and his team essentially puppeted the characters with rods. The rods were removed in post, and animated limbs were then comped on top of the footage. The result is naturalistic movement, complete with all the charming quirks you get from human-controlled motion.
Sound and music by Echolab.