Directed by Jacob Frey Running time 4 minutes | Release date 2014 | |
Written by Fabio Cavalcanti
Jacob Frey Based on 'Perfeição'
by Fabio Coala Starring Samantha Brown
Quinn Nealy | ||
The Present is a 2014 animated short film directed and co-written by Jacob Frey and co-written with Markus Kranzler. It is based on "Perfeição", a comic strip by Fabio Coala. The short film tells the story of a teenage boy who gets a three-legged puppy from his mom, eventually warming up to it.
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The film has won 60 awards from several film festivals and has garnered critical acclaim from critics. As a result of the short film, both Kranzler and Frey were given jobs at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios respectively.
Plot
A teenage 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 goes upstairs to deal with a phone call. The boy opens the box, revealing an energetic puppy. The boy's delight turns to disdain as he sees the puppy is missing most of its left front leg. Disgusted, he kicks the puppy away and continues his game. Unperturbed, the puppy finds a red rubber ball under a cabinet and clumsily brings the ball to the boy, inviting him to play. The boy does his best to ignore the little dog but is soon won over by its determination and spirit, in spite of himself. He shuts off the video game and happily goes outside to play fetch with his puppy. The boy walks with crutches; his left leg is missing below the knee.
Reception and legacy
The short film was screened at 180 different film festivals and has won 60 accolades from all film festivals and has received critical acclaim. Because of this, both Frey and Kranzler moved to the United States in October and are working at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar respectively. Frey has worked on both Zootopia and Moana.