Paperman is a 2012 animated short and the first Disney animated
short film to win an Oscar since 1969. Released alongside the feature length Wreck-It Ralph, it’s a seven minute
movie about a chance encounter and longing for love. Set in 1940s New York City, George is
waiting for his elevated train to work when a gust of wind throws one of his
papers into the face of a pretty girl waiting on the same platform. Her lips
leave a lipstick imprint on the paper and the duo laugh coyly at the incident
before she gets onto her train. Later the same day, George is thinking about
the incident while looking out of his office window when he spots the woman in
a room on the other side of the street. In an attempt to draw her attention, he
makes paper aeroplanes, launching them towards her open window.
Paperman is beautifully drawn with clean black and white lines and
wonderful period detail. It’s reminiscent of the Hollywood Golden Age and
features lovely period design. The animation is elegant and very much in
keeping with classic Disney. Both central characters appear to have been taken
from the stock character cupboard at Disney with Meg taking the form of a
Disney Princess in mid century attire and George as the affable and harmless
Prince in a suit. Although the animation is very ‘Disney’, it also smacks of
realism. The expressions and movement speaks of the animation we all know and
love but the background, tone and environment are much more realistic looking
than in the cartoons of Disney’s heyday. The use of light is also evocative and
adds to the sense of romance that the short exudes throughout. It also helps to
capture that Golden Age vibe.
The plot is simple and sweet and
something everyone can relate to. It’s based on the idea of a brief connection
or spark between two people, something that those of us in large cities must
feel often. I think that most people would have spotted a look or glance or
caught eyes with a stranger and wondered what they might be like or how you’d
get on. This takes that idea and runs with it. Like a lot of recent animated
shorts, it’s incredibly simple but brilliantly effective. My only complaint is
with the anthropomorphism of the paper in the final moments. It works well but
I enjoyed the realism of the earlier stages. Overall though, this is yet
another example of the kind of talent and creativity that Disney Animation
Studios has to offer and like so many recent shorts, I enjoyed it more than its
feature companion.
9/10
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