Saturday, June 6, 2009

Show, don't tell.

One of the best examples of the screenwriting axiom of "show, don't tell" is the new animated short by Pixar called Partly Cloudy. It is the newest 3D animated short attached to Up, directed by Peter Sohn, a Pixar animator, the voice of Emile in Ratatouille and the basis for the character of Russell (voice of Jordan Nagai). 

Everyone knows that storks deliver babies, but where do storks get babies from? In this short film, cloud people sculpt babies from clouds and bring them to life. Partly Cloudy is about Gus, a lonely and insecure grey cloud, who is a master at creating "dangerous" babies like crocodiles, rams, porcupines and sharks. Gus's creations become more and more rambunctious and so his loyal delivery stork partner, Peck, must work harder and harder. 

Talk about "show, don't tell." This little vignette hit all the high notes and had me laughing so hard, it brought tears to my eyes. I could watch this one over and over again. 


Punchlines
They say life is a tragedy for those who feel...
...itchy, and no other sensations or emotions. Just itchy and maybe annoyed.

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