''The Present'' is a 2014 animated

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

directed and co-written by Jacob Frey and co-written with Markus Kranzler. It is based on "Perfeição", a comic strip by

Fabio Coala Fabio Coala is a Brazilian comics artist. After five years of working as a firefighter, he created the website ''Mentirinhas'' (''"Little Lies"'') in which he publishes, starting in 2010, webcomics with different characters. One of the main charac ...

. The short film tells the story of a 12 year old boy who gets a three-legged puppy from his mom, eventually warming up to him. The short explores the challenging topic of

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, dev ...

and living with an amputated leg. The film has won 81 awards from several film festivals and has garnered acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Both Kranzler and Frey would go on to get hired at Pixar and

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...

respectively, particularly because of the attention ''The Present'' had received.

Plot

A 12-year-old boy plays a shooter video game in a darkened living room behind blinds, but is surprised when his mother arrives with a box, saying it contains a present for him. She then goes upstairs to answer a phone call. The boy opens the box, revealing an energetic young puppy. The boy's delight turns to disgust however, as he sees the puppy is missing most of his left front leg. He tosses the puppy away and continues playing his game. Unperturbed, the puppy finds a red rubber ball under a cabinet and walks up to the boy, carrying the rubber ball and inviting him to play. The boy does his best to ignore the puppy but is soon won over by his determination and spirit, in spite of himself. The boy shuts off the video game and decides to go outside to play fetch with his dog, where it is revealed that he walks with crutches, as his left leg has been amputated below the knee.

Reception and legacy

The short film was screened at 293 different film festivals and has won 81 accolades from all film festivals and has received critical acclaim. As a result, both Frey and Kranzler moved to the United States in October and have been hired at

and Pixar respectively. Frey has worked on Disney films such as ''

Zootopia ''Zootopia'' (titled ''Zootropolis'' in various regions) is a 2016 American computer-animated buddy cop action comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 55th Disney animated feature film, ...

'' and '' Moana'', while Kranzler has worked on Pixar films such as '' Finding Dory'', '' Cars 3'' and '' Coco''.

References

External links

*
Official website
*https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3936469/ *https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4181513/ 2014 films 2014 computer-animated films 2014 animated short films German animated short films Films about amputees Animated films about dogs 2010s German films {{2010s-short-animation-film-stub