Far from the Tree (film)
Far from the Tree | |
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Directed by | Natalie Nourigat |
Written by | Natalie Nourigat |
Produced by | Ruth Strother |
Cinematography |
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Edited by |
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Music by | Nami Melumad |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 7 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Far from the Tree is a 2021 American animated short film written and directed by Natalie Nourigat and produced by Ruth Strother. The film follows a young curious raccoon whose father often scolds her for inadvertently putting herself in danger. When she becomes an adult, she finds herself and her son in similar circumstances to her parent and herself.
The film was conceived in 2018, when
Plot
On a beach, a young raccoon and her father, who has a scar over his left eye, venture out from the woods in search of food. While the raccoon is quick to get distracted and veer away from her father's view, her father aggressively tries to get her to stay put. When her father is digging for oysters, the raccoon finds a seashell, listening to the ocean wave noises in it, but her father notices and destroys it. The young raccoon eventually follows a seagull to its flock, only to find a coyote ready to attack her. The coyote chases the raccoon and gives her a scar on her nose, only for her father to attack the coyote and climb to the tree and angrily scold the raccoon for leaving, pointing out his scar as a reminder.
Years later, the now-adult raccoon ventures to the beach with her own son, who acts much like she did when she was younger. When her son attempted to follow the seagulls into the shore, she angrily scolds him, only to catch herself acting like how her father acted towards her. The two reconcile and return to the same tree, where the raccoon gifts her son a seashell.
Production
Development
In 2018, Disney requested
Animation and design
The team took inspiration from real-life raccoons; according to Strother, "they basically are like cartoon characters", meaning there was a way of animating them as appealing while allowing them to behave as they would in their natural environment. The animators found it difficult to establish the correct balance between anthropomorphism and realism. Early storyboards were cartoony and depicted the characters acting similar to humans. They reverted to a more natural way of working. The 2D artists conducted some 2D tests to see how far they could push the limits.[1] The works of Manu Arenas, a comic book artist and production designer, were the inspiration for the watercolor animation style. Cannon Beach's cloudy sky, gray sand, Evergreen trees, and foggy, distant mountains created an unusual color palette for the film's setting.[3]
Nourigat relied substantially on Disney's Meander drawing system, which was used for the short films Paperman and Feast. The system was meant to be a simple accessory, but ended up being used in 96 percent of the short. With Meander, they published a flat color render and incorporated line art as well, much of which was done by hand. Meander allowed the team a large amount of control and artistry by allowing them to redraw where they wanted. To maintain the genuine tone, the artists animated at a slower pace on 3s and 4s. Because the crew enjoyed a glance followed by a powerful stance (which was then held), the animators were encouraged to drop frames.[3]
Release
The film premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 15, 2021.[5] It was released alongside theatrical screenings of Encanto on November 24,[1] and was made available to Disney+ in the following month on December 24, the same day as Encanto.[6] It—as well as "An Introduction to Far from the Tree"—was included on the 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD releases of Encanto on February 8, 2022.[7]
Reception
Upon release, Far from the Tree received positive responses. Reviews of Encanto complimented it as delightful,
References
- ^ a b c d Hofferman, Jon (November 24, 2021). "Far From the Tree: A Harried Raccoon Confronts the Challenges of Parenting". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ a b c Nourigat, Natalie (December 12, 2021). "Far From the Tree creator discusses her Disney animated short" (Interview). Interviewed by Adrian Florido. NPR. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ a b c Desowitz, Bill (June 14, 2021). "Far From the Tree: First Look at Disney's Annecy-Bound Raccoon Survival Short – Exclusive". IndieWire. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ Nourigat, Natalie; Strother, Ruth (September 30, 2021). "Natalie Nourigat & Ruth Strother Interview: Far From The Tree". Screen Rant (Interview). Interviewed by Tatiana Hullender. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (June 16, 2021). "Annecy: Disney, Africa's Kugali Reveal a Futuristic Lagos in 'Iwaju'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ Calimbahin, Samantha (December 22, 2021). "Far From The Tree Animated Short Trailer Reveals Disney+ Release Date". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on March 12, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ King, Aidan (December 13, 2021). "'Encanto' 4K, Blu-ray, Digital Release Includes Sing-Along Version". Collider. Archived from the original on March 12, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ Acuna, Kirsten (November 16, 2021). "'Encanto' is the best Disney animated movie in the past 6 years". Insider. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ Croot, James (December 26, 2021). "Encanto: Disney celebrates milestone with crazy, colourful Colombian adventure". Stuff. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Chhibber, Mini Anthikad (November 26, 2021). "'Encanto' movie review: No sign of Disney magic wearing off". The Hindu. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ Rooney, David (November 15, 2021). "'Encanto': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ Hammond, Pete (November 15, 2021). "'Encanto' Review: Walt Disney Animation's 60th Movie Doesn't Reach The Heights Of Their Best, But Still Has Some Magic For The Family". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ LaBat, Samantha. "Disney's Far From The Tree Takes An Honest Look At Parenting". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- Romper. Archivedfrom the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ Taylor, Drew (December 29, 2021). "The Best Animated Films and TV Shows of 2021: From 'Encanto' to 'Flee' and Beyond". TheWrap. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ Allison, Austin (December 2, 2021). "Walt Disney Animation's Revival Era Short Films, Ranked". Collider. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- Hollywood Critics Association. December 2, 2021. Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.