''Weeds'' is a 2017 American all- CG animation short film, an animated short film which a group of Walt Disney Animation Studios artists did in their personal time. Written and directed by

Kevin Hudson Kevin Hudson (born July 2, 1965) is an American visual effects artist and film director. Biography Kevin Hudson is an American Filmmaker and Digital Artist who is currently part of the team at Walt Disney Animation Studios. His work can be fou ...

, ''Weeds'' uses

Computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...

and 3D to tell a story about empathy and the struggle and distance someone may have to travel—against all odds—to find a better life.

Premise

The plight of ''Weeds''’ dandelion protagonist is a metaphor for people stuck in terrible living conditions ( war,

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, dea ...

, lack of opportunity and hope).

Production

Conception and writing

The story for ''Weeds'' came to

during the summer of 2016 when there was so much anger directed by people towards Syrian Refugees and

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

Immigrants. He felt a great desire to say something through his art about the need to have greater empathy for people, who by no fault of their own are stuck in a terrible situation and want nothing more than to have a better life if not for themselves, then for their children.

Animation

''Weeds production team consisted of 40+ artists, using animation software like Maya, Houdini, Hyperion and Nuke. To inject personality and life in the film's dandelion central character, some of the animators filmed themselves "acting out" the performance of the dandelion, to explore and prepare for their shots. One animator, Wayne Unten, executed a hand-drawn animation pass for his shots to create a foundation for his CG animation, as his was one of the most complicated in the film (a moment where the dandelion pulls itself out of the ground and leaps skyward), requiring some inventive rigging.

Character design

''Weeds central dandelion character posed many unique performance challenges, among them: The lack of human

facial features A facial is a family of skin care treatments for the face, including steam, exfoliation (physical and chemical), extraction, creams, lotions, facial masks, peels, and massage. They are normally performed in beauty salons, but are also a com ...

meant that all of its feelings needed to be communicated through body language—the orientation of the flower petals, and the character stopping moving for select moments—so the audience could imagine it thinking. Since the main dandelion character is a metaphor for a Human, and the primary theme of the film is "empathy for immigrants and

refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

," the dandelion needed a human-like silhouette; two

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

became arms, while the leaves on its back appear much like a backpack. Carefully researching the life cycle of a dandelion also helped the Weeds' crew incorporate crucial details in its appearance—how it grows and reproduces, among other things—as its story unfolded.

The Music

''Weeds original score was created by Dale Turner (songwriter), who used a little guitar from

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called a

Charango The charango is a small Andean stringed instrument of the lute family, from the Quechua and Aymara populations in the territory of the Altiplano in post-Colonial times, after European stringed instruments were introduced by the Spanish during c ...

to represent the dandelion's onscreen presence. In an interview conducted by Animation World Network, writer/director

elaborates: "As the film has themes surrounding immigration and refugees, this little guitar from South America just fit perfectly. It has this wonderful hopeful and slightly sad sound to it. It provides the soul of the main character, and also represents the life of the water."

Release

''Weeds'' premiered in Encino, CA at Laemmle Theatres Town Center 5 on September 8, 2017. Immediately following its release, ''Weeds'' screened at numerous film festivals, including the Palm Springs International Film Festival (November 9, 2017). The complete short was released on Vimeo on November 11, 2017, for a two-week run before resuming its film festival screenings.

Accolades

''Weeds'' is the first animated short film to be completed within the Filmmakers Co-op at Disney Feature Animation. ''Weeds'' was one of three "commended" (extra) films included in ''2018 OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILMS: ANIMATED SHORTS'', the theatrical release of five Academy Award nominated animated shorts (

Dear Basketball ''Dear Basketball'' is a 2017 American animated film written and narrated by Kobe Bryant and directed and animated by Glen Keane, with music by John Williams. The film is based on a letter Bryant wrote for ''The Players' Tribune'' on November 29, ...

, Garden Party, Lou, Negative Space, and Revolting Rhymes) nominated for the 90th Academy Awards. (Released February 9, 2018; distributor ShortsTV.)

References

External links

Official website
* {{IMDb title, 7592274
''Short “Weeds” from Disney Co-op Screens at VanArts''
at VanArts
''Alumnus creates evocative short film featuring refugee dandelion''
at

Daily Bruin The ''Daily Bruin'' is the student newspaper at the University of California, Los Angeles. It began publishing in 1919, the year UCLA was founded. The ''Daily Bruin'' distributes about 6,000 copies across campus each school day. It also publis ...

2017 films 2010s American animated films 2017 3D films 2017 computer-animated films Animated films without speech 3D short films 2017 short films 2010s English-language films