''Moonbird'' is a 1959 short

animated 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 ani ...

John Hubley John Kirkham Hubley (May 21, 1914 – February 21, 1977) was an American animation director, art director, producer and writer known for his work with the United Productions of America (UPA) and his own independent studio, Storyboard, Inc. (late ...

and

Faith Hubley Faith Hubley (née Chestman; September 16, 1924 – December 7, 2001) was an American animator, known for her experimental work both in collaboration with her husband John Hubley, and on her own following her husband's death. Biography Bo ...

in which two boys have an adventure in the middle of the night as they sneak out and try to catch a 'Moonbird' and bring it home. The film was animated by Robert Cannon and Ed Smith. It won an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

for Best Short Subjects (Cartoons) at the

32nd Academy Awards The 32nd Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 4, 1960 at the RKO Pantages Theatre, to honor the films of 1959. William Wyler's Bible epic ''Ben-Hur'' won 11 Oscars, breaking the record of nine set the previous year by '' Gigi''. This t ...

, in 1960.

Production

''Moonbird'' featured the voices of the Hubley's sons, Mark and Ray ("Hampy"). For the ''Moonbird'', the Hubleys secretly recorded the boys sharing an imaginary adventure before going to sleep in the darkness of their room. Their parents afterwards took the tapes and created an animated film to fit their sons' story.

Trivia

*It became the very first independent short to win the Oscar.

Synopsis

The cartoon shows the little boys climbing out their bedroom window and going on a quest for the Moonbird, trying to trap the Moonbird, and otherwise obsessed with the Moonbird which we see following them about from place to place, leaping in and out of their trap, and in general keeping an eye on them.

Availability

The film has lapsed into the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

. The

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

preserved ''Moonbird'' in 2003.

References

External links

*
''Moonbird''
on

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1959 films 1959 animated films 1950s animated short films Animated films about birds Best Animated Short Academy Award winners Films directed by John Hubley American animated short films Animated films about animals 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-short-animation-film-stub