A team of animators over at Disney have been working on a new short film called Paperman. Up until today not much was known about the project. It is being directed by John Kahrs, a former Pixar employee who also worked on the Disney film Tangled. Apparently, the short will have a unique and different kind of animation technique and style.
Above you'll find the newly released logo for the short, and below you'll find the the first story description.
Introducing a groundbreaking technique that seamlessly merges computer-generated and hand-drawn animation techniques, first-time director John Kahrs takes the art of animation in a bold new direction with “Paperman.” Using a minimalist black-and-white style, the short follows the story of a lonely young man in mid-century New York City, whose destiny takes an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with a beautiful woman on his morning commute. Convinced the girl of his dreams is gone forever, he gets a second chance when he spots her in a skyscraper window across the avenue from his office. With only his heart, imagination and a stack of papers to get her attention, his efforts are no match for what the fates have in store for him. Created by a small, innovative team working at Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Paperman” pushes the animation medium in an exciting new direction.
Sounds like it will be a fun little story to see, but I'm more interested in this new animation technique that's being used to bring the story to life. I don't know why, but I'm expecting to be blown away by this; they're really hyping up this new technique. The short will make the film festival rounds, and will most likely be shown before Disney's next animated film, Wreck it Ralph.