Tuesday, February 26, 2013

"Paperman" - Silent Story About Fate & Love Beyond Words

"PAPERMAN"
SILENT STORY ABOUT FATE & LOVE BEYOND WORDS

 Short animated film titled “Paperman,” a silent story about fate and love.
Paperman shows how a silent short film could say so much, without a single words.
"an urban fairy tale in a beautiful world of light and shadow" 

Listen to "PAPERMAN" for 2 pianos HERE 


In a world full of both live action and animated shorts, PAPERMAN is sweet and a breath of fresh love. The visuals stun and the cutting edge CGI with animation overlayed on the top with the music make it...well, simply gorgeous. It utilizes both 3D and 2D animation in a bold and beautiful way to tell the story of a guy trying to get the attention of the woman of his dreams. The result is a magical little tale that proves that even in the cold, crushing world of modern New York magic can flourish. 

Paperman on Youtube:





THE MUSIC by Christophe Beck
The music is also fantastic, complementing the film perfectly. It’s a true testament to visual storytelling. Beginning with a serendipitous simple melody, it builds throughout the track to a politely desperate and ultimately happy ending. LOVE is worth going to the ends of the Earth for. My absolute favorite Disney Short Film ever. The music is phenomenal. The film itself is heart warming, funny, and touching. It is animated beautifully, and Beck's music is a perfect fit to the visuals. One fairly short track conveys a lot of emotions. 


PLOT
An urban office worker finds that paper airplanes are instrumental in meeting a girl in ways he never expected. After a businessman encounters a woman on a train platform, and later discovers her across the street from his office building, he tries to get her attention by throwing paper airplanes through her window. The wind continually thwarts his efforts, until it seems hope is lost and the wind uses the paper planes to bring the two together.

The whimsical story touches on something that is relatable to anyone: the desire to be loved. The setting of a city and the occupation of the protagonist as a desk worker create the perfect everyman type of character, and the woman is his inspiration to do more with life, take risks, and find love.


 
BEHIND THE STORY
“It goes back to when I was living in New York City, in the early 90s. I was working at Blue Sky Studios as an animator. I was commuting through Grand Central Station, expecting that my life, for some reason, should be better than it was,” said director Kahrs in an interview with Animation World Network.

“It had something to do with the random connections you sometimes make with people. Complete strangers. Most people have their guard up. But every once in a while you’ll make eye contact, then you’ll lose it, and you often wonder who those people were. Paperman’s story centers around a guy who makes a connection with this girl on his long commute. Then, he loses her. The story really is about what happens when he tries to get her back and make that connection again. How would the fates reward someone who tries really hard to make that happen?” 


About Paperman by John Kahrs