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Oscar® Nominee, Best Short Film (Animated), 1984

Paradise

1984 15 min
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In this short animation film, a magnificent bird performs for the Emperor inside a glittering palace. Its plumage is a blaze of colour. A blackbird, watching enviously, strives to acquire what he so desperately covets, only to discover that a golden cage can’t compete with the open skies.

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Paradise

Details

In this short animation film, a magnificent bird performs for the Emperor inside a glittering palace. Its plumage is a blaze of colour. A blackbird, watching enviously, strives to acquire what he so desperately covets, only to discover that a golden cage can’t compete with the open skies.

  • concept
    Ishu Patel
  • design
    Ishu Patel
  • animation
    Ishu Patel
  • layouts
    George Ungar
  • character animation
    George Ungar
  • story development
    Eunice Macaulay
  • production co-ordinator
    Joan Churchill
  • music
    Gheorghe Zamfir
  • additional music
    Normand Roger
  • sound effects
    Normand Roger
  • animation camera effects
    Pierre Landry
  • additional animation
    Joseph Gilland
  • colour design
    Joan Churchill
    Brenda Martin
    Aileen Brophy
  • rendering
    Joan Churchill
    Brenda Martin
    Aileen Brophy
  • rendering assistant
    Meilan Lam
    Pepita Ferrari
    Gabriel Caya
    Hasmig Marangian
    Joanne Disensi
  • music recording
    Louis Hone
  • sound mixing
    Jean-Pierre Joutel
  • director
    Ishu Patel
  • producer
    Ishu Patel
  • executive producer
    Douglas MacDonald

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Education

Ages 5 to 18
School subjects

Brief “lesson launcher type” activity or a series of inquiry questions with a bit of context:

An animated film about the adventures of a bird seeking recognition from others. No dialogue; music and sound effects with animation.

How does the contrast between the backdrop of the palace and the characters/birds create visual interest?

The bird wants to look more colourful, and in the process of trying to obtain the materials for the costume, he disrupts many around him. Have you ever had an experience where you had to take from someone? How did it make you feel? How did others react to your actions?

The bird wants to be acknowledged as beautiful, and when he is, he is captured. Do you think this is what he had in mind? Why or why not?

What makes the bird appreciate his own beauty by the end of the film? What lesson can we learn from the bird’s experience?

Paradise
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Home licence (worldwide); Classroom licence (Canada only)

You may download this film for private, personal or classroom use only. Public screenings and institutional (non-educational institutions) uses are not permitted. Download films in standard or high definition. (Please note that bonus materials are not available for DTO films.) You can copy each file up to 5 (five) times, onto various devices. DTO films cannot be hosted on a streaming server. To add DTO films to an institutional or educational streaming server, please contact a sales agent to discuss pricing.

Institutional licence

The institutional price includes the rights to screen this film in institutional settings and in free public screenings.