''The Present'' is a 2014 animated

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

directed and co-written by Jacob Frey and co-written with Markus Kranzler. It is based on "Perfeição", a comic strip by

Fabio Coala Fabio Coala is a Brazilian comics artist. After five years of working as a firefighter, he created the website ''Mentirinhas'' (''"Little Lies"'') in which he publishes, starting in 2010, webcomics with different characters. One of the main charac ...

. The short film tells the story of a 12 year old boy who gets a three-legged puppy from his mom, eventually warming up to him. The short explores the challenging topic of

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, d ...

and living with an amputated leg. The film has won 81 awards from several film festivals and has garnered acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Both Kranzler and Frey would go on to get hired at

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

and

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that produces animated feature films and short films for the Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a s ...

respectively, particularly because of the attention ''The Present'' had received.

Plot

A 12-year-old 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 then goes upstairs to answer a phone call. The boy opens the box, revealing an energetic young puppy. The boy's delight turns to disgust however, as he sees the puppy is missing most of his left front leg. He tosses the puppy away and continues playing his game. Unperturbed, the puppy finds a red rubber ball under a cabinet and walks up to the boy, carrying the rubber ball and inviting him to play. The boy does his best to ignore the puppy but is soon won over by his determination and spirit, in spite of himself. The boy shuts off the video game and decides to go outside to play fetch with his dog, where it is revealed that he walks with crutches, as his left leg has been amputated below the knee.

Reception and legacy

The short film was screened at 293 different film festivals and has won 81 accolades from all film festivals and has received critical acclaim. As a result, both Frey and Kranzler moved to the United States in October and have been hired at

and

respectively. Frey has worked on Disney films such as ''

Zootopia ''Zootopia'' (titled ''Zootropolis'' or ''Zoomania'' in various regions) is a 2016 American animated buddy cop comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore from a screenplay by Jared Bush an ...

'' and '' Moana'', while Kranzler has worked on Pixar films such as ''

Finding Dory ''Finding Dory'' is a 2016 American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Angus MacLane, produced by Lindsey Collins, and written b ...

'', ''

Cars 3 ''Cars 3'' is a 2017 American animated sports comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is a sequel to '' Cars 2'' (2011) and the third film in the ''Cars'' franchise. It was directed by Brian Fe ...

'' and ''

Coco Coco or variants may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Coco'' (2009 film), a French comedy film * ''Coco'' (2017 film), an American animated fantasy film * '' Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle'' (), a 2020 Japanese anime film ...

''.

References

External links

*
Official website
*https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3936469/ *https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4181513/ 2014 computer-animated films 2014 animated short films German animated short films Films about amputees Animated films about dogs 2010s German films {{2010s-short-animation-film-stub