Spring (2019 film)

Last updated
Spring
Spring2019PillarPosterBlender.jpg
Pillar poster by Blender Studio
Directed byAndreas Goralczyk
Written byAndreas Goralczyk
Produced by Ton Roosendaal
Francesco Siddi
Music byTorin Borrowdale
Animation byHjalti Hjalmarsson
(Animation director)
Ignacio Conesa
Nathan Dillow
Pablo Fournier
Production
company
Distributed by Blender Foundation
Release date
April 4, 2019
Running time
8 minutes
Country Netherlands

Spring is a 2019 animated fantasy short film written and directed by Andreas Goralczyk and produced by Ton Roosendaal and Francesco Siddi. It is the Blender Institute's 12th "open movie", and was made utilizing the open-source software, Blender. The film is about a young shepherd and her dog confronting ancient spirits in order to bring about the change of seasons. The film was funded by the Blender Foundation, with donations from the Blender community. The film and any material made in the studio was released under a Creative Commons License. [1]

Contents

On April 4, 2019, the film was first released on YouTube. As of December 2020, it had over 7 million views.

Plot

Spring, full movie

High above the clouds, young shepherdess Spring descends into the frozen forest below. The atmosphere is dark and misty, in direct contrast with the sunny springtime weather above; the clouds causing this surround the heads of ancient spirits that have been freezing the forest, who take the form of anthropomorphic creatures bearing four tree-legs. She calls them by banging on a large rock with a wooden staff. She pays respect to the Alpha, the one that lowers its head from the clouds. It strikes its antennae against Spring's staff to play music, and she, in turn, finishes the melody. The creature sheds one of its musical antenna parts (a chime), which she plugs into the eye of her staff to activate it a glowing red color. With the power she now has, the other spirits awaken and begin moving towards her.

However, a tree gets knocked to the ground by one of the creatures, knocking the staff and throwing the chime afar, upsetting the creatures who chase after it. Just as the chime is about to be stepped on, Spring grabs it and reattaches it to her staff. She immediately regains control of the spirits, using her staff with the glowing red chime to direct the creatures away from her. Turning around, the creatures are herded like sheep up out of the clouded valley, causing the clouds to disperse and healing the land from its deep freeze. Flora blooms, and ices melt.

Numerous chain-strings cascade from the top of a rock wall, with the chimes of years past lodged, alternating perpendicularly, into each chink of the chain. Spring sticks the newest chime into the first available slot.

Production

The original movie poster for the release of Spring Spring2019AlphaPosterBlender.jpg
The original movie poster for the release of Spring

The film was written and directed by Andreas Goralczyk. The film's initial art direction and character design was done by David Revoy, who is known for Pepper&Carrot , an open source webcomic series, and has worked on three other Blender Foundation short films as a concept artist. [2] [3] It was produced by Ton Roosendaal and Francesco Siddi. The production team of Spring started by using Blender 2.79 and very early into the production shifted to version 2.80, which was still in beta. [4] [5] The character and asset files for the film were released under the CC-By 4.0 Creative Commons License on Blender Cloud. [1] [6] The musical director played a large role in the final film, as not a single word is spoken and the story is entirely driven by music.

After collecting various "reference and inspirational material" for the film, graphic artist Julien Kaspar discussed his ideas with Goralczyk before starting development on the film. The cast choreographed a climax scene of the film for reference material, which needed to portray the stress that Spring felt. Once the film's concepts were approved by the director, "Nacho" Conesa started rigging and creating the animations. The detail of the base topology for the meshes was critical for adding details later. UV unwrapping was utilized in the process of texture painting and baking. The base meshes for the film's characters had to be shipped to the rigging department for several layout shots, which created constraints as to the further development of the character models. Ultimately, the shot where Spring has fallen and must get up to chase after the chime took 2–3 weeks to animate; while polishing the splined version, work could begin on the next shot. [7]

Reception

Writing for Film Inquiry, Adam Mock opens his review article with, "Spring has sprung and the result is truly a thing of beauty." A "simple idea" with "complex elegance", he compares the use of music as an interspecies language to Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind . He praises the film for simultaneously having a simple set up, a girl and her dog, and a complex mysterious environment. He writes the film goes toe-to-toe with feature-length films by major studios that have larger budgets. In his mind, the lore could be expanded with a sequel, but it also stands quite well on its own. [8]

The film received a positive response from critics and the public. It had over 5.2 million views on YouTube as of September 2020. [9]

Accolades

CeremonyAwardDate of ceremonyResultRef(s)
Mundos Digitales International Animation FestivalBest Short FilmJuly 13, 2019Won [10] [11]
Animago Award & Conference 2019Best Short FilmNovember 2–4, 2019Nominated [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within</i> 2001 animated science fiction film

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a 2001 computer-animated science fiction film directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy franchise. It was the first photorealistic computer-animated feature film and the most expensive video game-inspired film until the release of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time in 2010. The film stars the voices of Ming-Na Wen, Alec Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, James Woods, Ving Rhames, Peri Gilpin, and Steve Buscemi, and follows scientists Aki Ross and Doctor Sid in their efforts to free a post-apocalyptic Earth from the Phantoms, a mysterious, deadly alien race who has driven the remnants of humanity into "barrier cities". Aki and Sid must fight against General Hein, who wants to use more violent means to end the conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blender (software)</span> 3D computer graphics software

Blender is a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software tool set used for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D-printed models, motion graphics, interactive 3D applications, virtual reality, and, formerly, video games. Blender's features include 3D modelling, UV mapping, texturing, digital drawing, raster graphics editing, rigging and skinning, fluid and smoke simulation, particle simulation, soft body simulation, sculpting, animation, match moving, rendering, motion graphics, video editing, and compositing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blender Foundation</span> Non-profit organization responsible for the development of Blender

The Blender Foundation is a Dutch nonprofit organization (Stichting) responsible for the development of Blender, an open-source 3D content-creation program.

<i>Elephants Dream</i> 2006 Dutch short film

Elephants Dream is a 2006 Dutch computer-animated science fiction fantasy experimental short film produced by Blender Foundation using, almost exclusively, free and open-source software. The film is English-language and includes subtitles in over 30 languages.

<i>A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation</i> 1997 film

A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation is a 1997 Hong Kong animated film. It was written and produced by Tsui Hark and his production company, Film Workshop. The animation was produced by Japanese animation studio, Triangle Staff. It is also referred to as "Xiao Qian", "Little Pretty", "Chinese Ghost Story Xiao Qian".

<i>Big Buck Bunny</i> 2008 computer-animated comedy short film

Big Buck Bunny is a 2008 short computer-animated comedy film featuring animals of the forest, made by the Blender Institute, part of the Blender Foundation. Like the foundation's previous film, Elephants Dream, the film was made using Blender, a free and open-source software application for 3D computer modeling and animation developed by the same foundation. Unlike that earlier project, the tone and visuals departed from a cryptic story and dark visuals to one of comedy, cartoons, and light-heartedness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ton Roosendaal</span> Dutch software developer (born 1960)

Ton Roosendaal is a Dutch software developer and film producer. He is the original creator of the open-source 3D creation suite Blender and Traces. He is also known as the founder and chairman of the Blender Foundation, and for pioneering large scale open-content projects. In 2007, he established the Blender Institute in Amsterdam, where he works on coordinating Blender development, publishing manuals and DVD training, and organizing 3D animation and game projects.

<i>Sintel</i> 2010 film

Sintel, code-named Project Durian during production, is a 2010 computer-animated fantasy short film. It was the third Blender "open movie". It was produced by Ton Roosendaal, chairman of the Blender Foundation, written by Esther Wouda, directed by Colin Levy, at the time an artist at Pixar and art direction by David Revoy, who is known for Pepper&Carrot an open source webcomic series. It was made at the Blender Institute, part of the Blender Foundation. The plot follows the character, Sintel, who is tracking down her pet Scales, a dragon. Just like the other Blender "open movies," the film was made using Blender, a free and open source software application for animation, created and supported by the Blender Foundation.

<i>Tears of Steel</i> 2012 film

Tears of Steel is a short science fiction film by producer Ton Roosendaal and director/writer Ian Hubert. The film is both live-action and CGI; it was made using new enhancements to the visual effects capabilities of Blender, a free and open-source 3D computer graphics app. Set in a dystopian future, the short film features a group of warriors and scientists who gather at the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam in a desperate attempt to save the world from destructive robots.

<i>The Goddess of Spring</i> 1934 American film

The Goddess of Spring is a 9-minute Silly Symphonies animated Disney short film. The Symphony is imbued with operatic themes and is often cited as melodramatic. It was released in 1934, and its production was important to the future development of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs animation. Each Silly Symphony was a technological marvel at the time and proceeded to further advancements in the animation industry.

<i>Reversion</i> (2012 film) 2012 film

Reversion is a computer-animated short film directed by Giancarlo Ng and produced by The Magic Movie Machine, a self-described collaborative animation team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Animation Studios</span> American animation studio

Universal Animation Studios LLC is an American animation studio and a division of Universal Pictures, which is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast. It has produced direct-to-video sequels to Universal-released feature films, such as The Land Before Time, An American Tail, Balto, and Curious George, as well as other films and television series.

<i>High School Fleet</i> 2016 Japanese original anime television series

High School Fleet, also known as Haifuri (はいふり), is a Japanese anime television series produced by Production IMS. Yuu Nobuta directed the anime and Reiko Yoshida handled the series composition, with character designs by Naoto Nakamura and original character designs by Atto. The series aired in Japan from April to June 2016. A manga adaptation illustrated by Kanari Abe began serialization in Media Factory's seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive's December 2015 issue released on October 27, 2015. An anime film produced by A-1 Pictures premiered on January 18, 2020.

<i>Cosmos Laundromat</i> 2015 film directed by Mathieu Auvray

Cosmos Laundromat: First Cycle, developed under the code name Project Gooseberry, is an animated absurdist sci-fi fantasy short film directed by Mathieu Auvray, written by Esther Wouda, and produced by Ton Roosendaal. It is the Blender Institute's 5th "open movie" project, and was made utilizing the Blender software. The film focuses around a depressed and suicidal sheep named Franck who's offered "all the lives he ever wanted" by a mysterious salesman named Victor. On August 10, 2015, it was released to YouTube. The film was originally intended to kickstart a feature-length film. A short film sequel was written and designed but never brought to production. In 2020, Roosendaal announced that the one film would be the total of the project.

<i>Pepper&Carrot</i> Webcomic by David Revoy and surrounding community

Pepper&Carrot is a free and open source webcomic series by French artist David Revoy. It is also published by Glénat Editions, Ar Gripi, Popcom, Prikazka-Igra, and Outland Forlag.

<i>Dissonance</i> (film) 2015 German film

Dissonance is a 2015 German short film by German digital and visual artist, graphic designer and filmmaker Till Nowak. It is a hybrid film that combines live action with animation.

<i>Caminandes</i> Dutch film

Caminandes is an independently produced series of computer animated short films created by Pablo Vazquez, produced and released by the Blender Foundation.

Aardman Animations is an animation studio in Bristol, England that produces stop motion and computer-animated features, shorts, TV series and adverts.

<i>Justice League Dark: Apokolips War</i> 2020 American animated superhero film

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is a 2020 American adult animated superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Home Video. The film is directed by Matt Peters and Christina Sotta, while Ernie Altbacker and Mairghread Scott wrote the screenplay. It stars an ensemble cast including Matt Ryan, Jerry O'Connell, Taissa Farmiga, Stuart Allan, Tony Todd, Ray Chase, Jason O'Mara, Rosario Dawson, Shemar Moore, Camilla Luddington, Christopher Gorham, Rebecca Romijn, Hynden Walch, Liam McIntyre, John DiMaggio, Sachie Alessio, Roger R. Cross, and Rainn Wilson. In the film, members of the Justice League, Justice League Dark, Teen Titans and Suicide Squad join forces against Darkseid to save Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Revoy</span> French artist (born 1981)

David Revoy is a French artist best known as the creator of the free webcomic series Pepper&Carrot which is translated into 27 languages to a degree of 90 percent or more. It is published as books via Glénat.

References

  1. 1 2 HolmFeed 60up, 15 Apr 2019 Joshua Allen. "Blender short film, new license for Chef, ethics in open source, and more news". Opensource.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-28. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  2. ↑ "Interview with Sintel's art director David Revoy". libregraphicsworld.org. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  3. ↑ "Spring – it4innovations & blender" . Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  4. ↑ "'Kids' Takes Best in Show Honors at SIGGRAPH Asia Computer Animation Festival". Animation World Network . Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  5. ↑ Goda, Satish (2019-04-09). "Spring : Blender Open Movie". Medium. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  6. ↑ Institute, Blender. "About". Blender Cloud. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  7. ↑ "Step-By-Step: Breaking Down Blender's New 'Spring' Short". Cartoon Brew . 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  8. ↑ Mock, Adam (2019-04-17). "SPRING: Animated Short Brings Warm Feelings". Film Inquiry. Archived from the original on 2020-12-28. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  9. ↑ "Spring - Blender Open Movie". YouTube . Archived from the original on 2019-04-10.
  10. ↑ "MUNDOS DIGITALES | FESTIVAL". Mundos Digitales. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  11. ↑ "Juego de Tronos' cierra Mundos Digitales". www.laopinioncoruna.es (in Spanish). 14 July 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-07-15. Retrieved 2020-09-26. El premio al mejor cortometraje fue para Spring, de Blender Animation Studios
  12. ↑ "animago 2019 Announces Jury and Award Nominees". Animation World Network . Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  13. ↑ "animago AWARD: Nominated Productions". animago 2019. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.