Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios
Year: 2012
Disney's Paperman is the Academy Award winning short-film
that premiered before screenings of Wreck-it Ralph in 2012. In a time when
people speculated that hand drawn animation was dead, Disney decides to release
something that's the best of both worlds. Director John Kahr describes the
inspiration to create Paperman from making eye-contact with people for a split
second on your way to work. What if that person would change your life forever?
On his way to work, George comes across a beautiful woman at
the train station. Unfortunately for him, he believes that he let the girl of
his dreams slip away, but fate has other plans. Once in his office, George
spots Meg in the building opposite to him. With the help of a stack of papers
and his persistence to see her again, George hopes his attempts will be enough
to capture her attention once again.
The animation is stunning and a welcomed change from all the
CGI animated movies Disney has been producing lately. Many have wondered if 2D
animation is dead, but Paperman gives us hope that one day it will make its
return. It’s creative, innovative and a great blending of the old and the new. The plot is a simple boy meets girl story with
a cute twist that keeps the audience entertained and separates it from other
classic New York love stories.
The score is by Christophe Beck who recently did the score
for Frozen. It’s a beautiful score that matches every beat of the film. It
starts off understated but builds once the planes take flight. Once the paper
planes develop a personality of their own it I heavily expressed through the
music as it serves as the climax. It saddens me so much that it isn’t available
to buy in the New Zealand iTunes store… WHY?!
The colour palette is mostly black and white with a pop of
red thanks to Meg's lipstick. The red is a way to connect the two characters.
George holds onto his infatuation with Meg by keeping a ice of paper with Meg's
lip print on it. The touch of red is attention grabbing. Think of Schindler's
List and the girl in the red coat. The girl in the red coat is probably one of
the main things I remember from Schindler because it was something that was
different and showed character development for the titular character. The red
lipstick serves the same purpose here and is one of the more memorable
components.
You can just feel the awkward.
George's design reminds me a lot of Roger from 101
Dalmatians. It must be the nose… and the hair. Actually I found myself typing
Roger instead of George a few times... oops. He's dorky, adorable, awkward and
incredibly persistent. My favourite moment would have to be all of George's
failed attempts at trying to get his paper planes through to Meg and all of his
expressions. We've all had those moments when we're so frustrated that we want
to bang our heads on the walls! Meg is elegant and beautiful. Both are very
simplistic which complemented the very simple design of New York. It gives an
old school vibe and retro feel. Let's not forget one of the most important
characters.... the paper planes. The paper planes are animated to have a personality
of their own and become a figurative Cupid’s arrow. They act as a compass for
Meg and lead her to George who seems to be harassed by every paper plane in New
York. These planes are the ultimate wingmen. It's simple, got some trouble
with love? Make a paper airplane!
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