Ralph Eggleston wrote and directed the 2000 American computer-animated short film For the Birds. In 2001, it received the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
The story is simple yet worth watching. We first see a blue bird landing on a wire. Later, a group of small blue birds joins them. They are all very identical and are sitting on a telephone wire at the beginning of the film. The birds in the movie don’t have names. They suddenly notice a huge bird standing on a wooden pole, waving at the small birds. The small birds began making fun of him after he moved to the centre of the wire. He ignores it and accompanies his new friends. They look down on the big bird when he wants to make friends. However, the big bird is ridiculed and ignored because of his size.
When he joins the birds, they react by pecking him violently off the wire until they realise the big bird’s weight has dangerously pushed them towards the ground. One of the small birds eventually notices a problem as the giant bird gradually loses control. It is too late to do anything now. The small birds are thrown high into the air once the big bird falls to the ground. The feathers are thrown right off their skin, and the big bird laughs at their new appearance. He even helps one of the birds by giving it a leaf to cover it.
The CGI in the movie is excellent and of high quality. The entire animation is vibrant and colourful. The feathers of the bird were given uniqueness, enabling them to ruffle in different directions like a real bird. This humorous short film can be used to discuss topics like kindness and bullying. The plot is quite simple, but it is a cheerful one with the idea of ironic karma.
