''Weeds'' is a 2017 American all-

CG animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refer ...

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 ...

, an

animated short film Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...

which a group of

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 ...

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 ''Taraxacum'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus is native to Eurasia and Nor ...

protagonist is a metaphor for people stuck in terrible living conditions (

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

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 Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

. 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

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

, 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

character posed many unique performance challenges, among them: The lack of

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

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 Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

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 A backpack—also called knapsack, schoolbag, rucksack, rucksac, pack, sackpack, booksack, bookbag or backsack—is, in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders ...

. 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) Dale Turner is an American singer-songwriter, rock musician, and multi-instrumentalist/record producer, noted for his sophisticated songcraft, quirky vocal arrangements, and adventurous guitar work. Queen-meets-Mr. Bungle-meets-Frank Zappa-like ...

, who used a little guitar from

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

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

's onscreen presence. In an interview conducted by

Animation World Network Animation World Network (often just "AWN") is an online publishing group that specializes in resources for animators, with an extensive website offering news, articles and links for professional animators and animation fans. Specifically, AWN cov ...

, 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 Encino (Spanish for "oak") is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. History In 1769, the Spanish Portolá expedition, first Europeans to see inland areas of California, traveled north through Sepulveda P ...

Laemmle Theatres Laemmle Theatres ( ) is a group of family-run arthouse movie theaters in the Los Angeles area. It was established in 1938Richard Verrier A Hollywood opening for downton cinema October 24, 2009 Los Angeles Times and is owned and operated by Rober ...

Town Center 5 on September 8, 2017. Immediately following its release, ''Weeds'' screened at numerous film festivals, including the

Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 1989 ...

(November 9, 2017). The complete short was released on

Vimeo Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software as ...

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 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 ...

. ''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 A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature fo ...

, Lou,

Negative Space Negative space, in art, is the empty space around and between the subject(s) of an image. Negative space may be most evident when the space around a subject, not the subject itself, forms an interesting or artistically relevant shape, and su ...

, and

Revolting Rhymes ''Revolting Rhymes'' is a 1982 collection of Roald Dahl poems first published in 1982 originally under the title ''Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes''. A parody of traditional folk tales in verse, Dahl gives a re-interpretation of six well-known ...

) nominated for the

90th Academy Awards The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2017, and took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was held on March 4, ...

. (Released February 9, 2018; distributor

ShortsTV ShortsTV is a worldwide network dedicated to short films. ShortsTV has over 13,000 titles in its catalog and has been a presenter of the Oscar Nominated Short Film releases since 2006. The channel is available in over 100 million homes across th ...

References

External links

Official website
* {{IMDb title, 7592274
''Short “Weeds” from Disney Co-op Screens at VanArts''
at

VanArts Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (VanArts) is a private post-secondary school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada which was founded in 1995. VanArts offers one-year diploma programs for the visual, media and performing arts plus degree ...

''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