Paperman

Upon watching the Oscars this past Sunday I was thrilled to see that “Paperman” (directed by John Kahrs) won best animated short. What I love about this charming and romantic new short (originally featured in “Wreck it Ralph”) is that it combines hand drawn traditional animation with computer generated imagery (CGI).  In this process of creation animators created CG models that artists then drew over in places. This technique is something I feel should be done more often In order to blend the new with the old in a result that looks like classic animation, but with more sense of volume and a cel-shaded appearance.

The short follows the story of a lonely working young man in New York City, whose destiny takes him on an unexpected journey after a chance encounter with a beautiful woman that could be his soul mate on his way to work. After the woman boards and vanishes on a departing train, the poor young man is convinced the girl of his dreams is gone forever and returns to work.

When it appears that all hope is lost, he gets a second chance when he spots her in a skyscraper window across the street from his office. Desperate to get her attention, he turns to the stack of paper in front of him, quickly crafting and throwing paper planes from the window, hoping to get just one of them to strike her attention. With his determination proving too little, fate takes matters in their own hands.

This short is filmed in minimalist black and white with little bursts of vivid red color (Like “Schindler’s List”) that is both aesthetically and emotionally pleasing to the eye. In less than ten minutes this short made me smile, laugh, tear up, and took me to the edge of my seat. This short deserves to be a stand-alone film and one of Disney’s finest shorts so take time and watch it.