Far from the Tree

Raccoons resolving intergenerational trauam and ending cycles of disfunction. What more could one want!? I was crying by the end: both because I am a generally emotional person, and because the emotional impact was so well executed.

Charming and sweet. It perfectly gets across its message in the small amount of time it has. The animation style looks really nice. It's an older style but looks really fresh.

It was a warm, cute short.

'Far From The Tree (2021)' is an animated short released alongside 'Encanto (2021)'. It tells the tale of a raccoon whose curiosity causes her to clash with her harsh yet protective father; years later, as she raises her own son, she comes to empathise with her father and the position her innocent outlook put him in. The short is generally a light and bubbly affair, but it also has moments of danger and darkness. It also makes some relatively keen points about parenthood, the suppression of curiosity and the cyclical nature of less-than-ideal upbringings. It's quite poignant and it often does things you don't really expect it to, using the non-speaking nature of its characters to convey just how intangible and difficult to discuss its themes truly are. The racoons are all really expressive and the piece does a good job when it comes to getting you to care about them. It also makes each of their outlooks seem crystal clear, allowing us to empathise with even the least conventionally likeable of them. The short is a mixture of 2D and 3D animation. From what I can tell, the characters are actually 3D models rendered to look like 2D drawings. I'm guessing that some of the background elements make use of traditional cel animation. Either way, the aesthetic is beautiful in a rather rustic sort of way. The animation is simple but effective, as is the sound design and music. Overall, this is a great little short. 7/10.

So this short film was deep. I think I learned more about how to and how not to parent from this short film than from any educational book or video.

Generational trauma and how it is passed down (and how it can be avoided) is explored in a Disney short- you heard that right- and all of it is explored and felt without any dialogue! It's only 7 minutes so won't go into detail about plot, but it starts out with two raccoons who go foraging by the sea.

Gorgeous hand drawn animation, and beautiful, emotional story. Wouldn't be surprised if it wins best short. (And though Encanto, the movie it precedes, is enchanting, this short exemplifies and expresses Encanto's theme more effectively than Encanto!)

Referring to "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" saying, it's a simple message for parents NOT to repeat the mistakes of their parents. Communication is king. Tastefully done in a warm, fuzzy, Disney way without being too preachy. Also it's great to see Disney pumping out some 2D character animation ... even though it's only a short.