Two Students Made This Animation. Disney Saw It And Hired Them Both Immediately

February 15, 2017

When I watched this short film about a dog with three legs, I didn't expect to be so deeply moved.

"The Present" is a thesis short from the Institute of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Postproduction at the Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg in Ludwigsburg, Germany. It has been screened on over 180 film festivals and won more than 50 awards.

As soon as Disney came across it, they hired both of the students involved, Jacob Frey (director, writer, animator) and Markus Kranzler (shading, lighting, and rendering).