Birdsong (CalArts Film 2022)

[@lemoncholy]

This is too difficult to notice unless you know exactly what you're listening for, so I'll put it here: at the very end of the film, we close with the sounds of mosquitoes humming. This is a small reference to a major factor of why the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō went extinct. In the 1800s, mosquitoes were accidentally introduced to the Hawaiian Islands via ships. They brought with them avian malaria, a disease many birds were not able to defend against. In this sense, island life is incredibly fragile, and human actions (intentional or not) can drastically change the equations of their surrounding environments. Btw - thank you for all for the sweet comments. As of posting this I have read every single one and I'd like each of you to know that they mean so much, from the bottom of my heart ❤

[@milktea6676]

The queen has returned with another animation

[@SS25039]

@@milktea6676 facts

[@alphapuph]

i noticed it but didn’t know the meaning

[@samanthajeffers9339]

Beautiful! I love seeing your work, Lemoncholy 💕

[@berylliumpear1026]

You mean so much to us also🥰😭

[@howlhawk]

as a biologist, this short is so, so touching to me personally. this film is absolutely stunning and heartbreaking. i'm so impressed by not only the visuals but the storytelling and sound design as well. the inclusion of the mosquito buzz at the end is so ominous knowing what it represents, and a chilling reminder of what we've lost. this is the story of too many species - of species preserved only in sound and photos. i'm just so blown away by this. i adore this short so much

[@floranse5205]

@Fantana probably functionally extinct. Which means its unable to reproduce since there are no more of the species.

[@blackbird4852]

@Fantana Bit late in response, and while I am not a biologist I believe a species is declared extinct when there is no hope of recovery anymore. That usually happens when a few are still alive, just not enough that they can regrow a population healthily.

[@helentee9863]

​@@richardw9804 the disease that wiped out these birds. Avian malaria

[@mycelium8]

Hi, I could not hear a mosquito buzz. Can you point out exactly where so I could listen again?

[@velcrochickens]

Its right at the end in the credits, you might have to turn up the volume to hear it ​@kali5587

[@julieparkvoiceovers7532]

When they started responding to the recording, I cried. This was beautiful yet heart breaking

[@GoingSwimmingly]

I thought I was chill until it rubbed on the recorder and I just suddenly was in tears lol

[@ninipanini7760]

he*

[@ashkhenmkhitaryan3654]

I cried too ...

[@KajuKajuKatli]

"I thought about it often: if it went back to its nest, if it kept looking, if it kept singing... but more than anything, I hoped it passed away, softly. Peacefully, in the middle of a dream." this makes me weep over how beautifully masterful this short film is. Nothing can come close to this. The Kaua'i 'o'o have always fascinated me and their stories -- _his_ story -- a painful one. But you managed to capture it and give out to the world in such a beautiful way. Man, this is amazing, thank you for sharing this with us

[@Aurabora54321]

It is beautiful, sensitive...and tragic. Whatever sense of romanticism one feels is overcome by the sad reality that the bird was the last one left. Extinction of species is ongoing, real, and preventable.

[@Thewhiteandorange]

I've never heard of John Sincock or his experience. I've known about Kauaʻi ʻōʻō for a while now. First time I've heard of this little bird and how it went extinct singing into emptiness, it broke my heart. I kept thinking if it went back to its nest and sat there - in the rain, in the dark, in the wind, in the mornings - all alone without a mate. I wondered if it sang from different branches or kept refining its song, thinking it wasn't doing it right or well enough. Bird are social creatures.... and this one had no one. Learning that Sincock also thought of the little bird long after he went back home really resonated, and I'm immensely grateful for this little film. I hope most of all that the last Kauaʻi ʻōʻō left this world singing. "I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself." - D. H. Lawrence

[@uncharted3awesome]

Oh my GOD. That recording of the last Kauaʻi ʻōʻō has always haunted me. I think that's the most intense representation of loneliness I've ever heard, and ever since I heard it and learned the history behind it, I've thought of writing a short story or animation around it. Really cool job on the animation, and now you've started stirring ideas in my head again. Beautiful design and setting, you did an awesome job! Thanks for bringing this story to light again

[@birdytaken]

Totally do it id def watch it on stream with very one and show everyone your work !

[@wxlurker]

This and the story of the 52 hertz whale always make me feel the weight of loneliness.

[@shellyeditsalot]

"and i hoped it passed away softly. peacefully. in the middle of a dream" beautiful, sensitive writing. from start to finish ♥️😭

[@davidsobel3303]

isn't that what we all hope for?...

[@PalozachSSJ]

I wish I could have given that bird a hug and told him everything was going to be alright as he passed in his sleep

[@diamondclear8031]

Hello! You may not see this comment but I just would like to sincerely say, thank you. This made me cry as I am native Hawaiian! Ever since I was little I would listen to the last recording of the Kauaʻi Ōʻō in museums. I would often dream of our native birds when I was little. Imagining a little black bird with vibrant yellow feathers and red iʻiwi in the ʻōhiʻa lehua. I’d listen to their songs on KZbin knowing that I would never hear them. Not in my lifetime. It’s rare or impossible now. I always dreamt of going to CalArts. Though now I’ve switched from pursuing a fine arts major to a creative writing major. I always wondered when I would see an animation from home. You have no idea how important, how beautiful, how extraordinary this animation is. Not only because you took our birds and made them fly but because of the story that it carries along with it. Mahalo nui loa, thank you for bringing the ōʻō back to life and for making my dreams come true.

[@flufferpants4812]

aww you ;-; ❤❤❤

[@KaraMiaSantaLucia]

Maholo to you for sharing your heritage and memories. This past July (23), while visiting my favorite island, Kauai, I was blessed to witness and help protect the birth of a Hawaiian Monk Seal (on Extinction list). Each day for 2 weeks, sunrise and sunset…I checked on the mother and her pup. I know how much they mean to the Hawaiian people. It was hard for me to leave, I so wanted to protect them. The good news is that mother seal didn’t give birth near popular beaches. It was all kept on the down low. I check on the pup once every so often, it was tagged and went off on his own. So far so good. We must save and protect all wild life! 🫶🏻🤙🏻

[@shadowshapedheart]

I went to Maui for Y2K. The fireworks started at 5pm on 12/31/99 and Did Not Stop until about 5am 1/1/2000. On the beach, on NYD, I saw thousands of dead songbirds, who had obviously flown out to sea and away from the noise, only to run out of energy and fall in the ocean. I will always regard that as one of the beginnings of the end...Tourists AND residents alike were setting off the constant barrage of fireworks, so we can’t conveniently point fingers. Humans suck.

[@KaraMiaSantaLucia]

@@shadowshapedheart yes, humans are nature’s biggest threat and most;y due to stupidity. While I was on a beach in Kaua’i I had tripped and broke my thumb. I was at the lifeguard station getting a bag of ice when I noticed woman on the beach w/a giant donut shaped tube filled with pink sparkling glitter. I immediately said the the lifeguard, “that woman should not be floating around with that thing in the ocean!”. I explained that if that thing pops, you have sparkly fish food. Use your two cents people! I told him that these glitter bombs are big on the mainland in the last couple years. I refuse to buy them for my inground pool. Nothing like a messed up filter with that crap. Imagine what it can do to the reefs, as well. HI has banned the use of sunscreen with chemicals and now they should ban these. Common sense lacks in society, BTW, the lifeguard had no idea but guess what…he is now aware. Hopefully, he take notice and spreads the word amongst the locals and a ban these death bombs. Yes, seems small…but these jumbo sized tubes contain millions of pieces of plastic. Imagine that exploding just for a second. Man, this makes me mad.

[@Boopityscoopdoop]

@@shadowshapedheartthat is heartbreaking💔

[@vooidirie]

"I hope it passed away softly, peacefully, in the middle of a dream"

[@imheretopanic9514]

YOU GOT ME CRYING OVER A BIRD!!!! anyway this was beautiful! everything about it was so eye-catching and it was melancholy but also soothing.

[@Anne-wf1vo]

It's very normal to cry about the extinction of a beautiful animal species. Especially considering we're in the 6th great extinction period - caused by humans - and we're destroying countless animal lives. I'm a vegan activist, so I've seen way worse stuff than this, but I still sobbed.

[@aqui0]

Lemoncholy*

[@abgacha1247]

@@Anne-wf1vo Please tell me your not the kind of vegan activist that does stuff like blocking up petrol stations?

[@Jedalgo]

The point is the irreparable damage humans have caused to this beautiful planet and it's creatures. we are an incredibly destructive species

[@FREEMAN....]

@@Anne-wf1vo So basically, you are telling the five former extinctions are the fault of nature itself...

[@Dovorans]

As someone who grew up in Hawaii and is now far away in the Midwest this beautiful film makes me intensely homesick. I remember sitting in class when our teacher played the song for us. Every once in a while I'll see or hear something that reminds me of the 'aina and this made the homesickness hit like a tsunami.

[@BrunoMaricFromZagreb]

Full name of bird?It's so I can find a wiki article?

[@oko3717]

@@BrunoMaricFromZagrebif you still don’t have it, it’s the kaua’i ‘ō’ō although I’ve seen it more commonly spelled as kauai o’o. Both should bring up the bird though

[@unknownmasksw2serialirious580]

@@BrunoMaricFromZagrebkaua bird or something

[@koiifsh]

​@@BrunoMaricFromZagreb kauai o'o

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

The part where the birds standing on the side of the staff and sings a tune as the musical notes indicates their voices and morphed into a wing is visually remarkable.

[@snipsnap4234]

As someone from Hawaii, I am glad this song and the story of these birds are being discussed more. We have lost so many of our native bird species already. The animation was absolutely gorgeous!

[@hyacinthhireath]

i love the animation style, the colors, the voice acting, the smoothness of it all the overall the theme as well and is it absolutely stunning!!! tysm for the food

[@Noorboomboomshakalakaboom]

I couldn't tell you how much I agree.

[@AM-ow3gn]

This is one of those endings that swells and deepens as it sits with you. I've gone from quiet to starting to weep. The image of the lonely, sleeping bird resonates not only with the heartbreaking irreversible loss of species, but with human aging, isolation, and grief. Thank you for this film.

[@AM-ow3gn]

oh GOD and again with that last shot: the split shades of light and dark, with the sleeping bird in cool but dark world, just the last tip of its tail touching the warm, bright, otherwise unoccupied light half of the nest. The way you took the care to animate the bird's gentle breathing.

[@LittleDogTobi]

Tears in my eyes. This is masterful. The birdsong is so wonderfully melancholy, too.

[@freebooterluckless]

My girlfriend and I are watching several student-made films as she considers going to Cal Arts. This is such a wonderful animation! It brought us both to tears. Edit: just got home and watched it again, really got a chance to take in every little detail. I’m teary eyed and at the same time rejuvenated in the soul, thank you for making this.

[@mockechan675]

The art, the voice acting LITERALLY EVERYTHING WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. This must have been really hard and we all appreciate your beautiful works of art❤

[@MaddisonRivera]

So amazingly happy to have had the privilege of voice acting for this 🖤🖤 CONGRATS

[@Zephirite.]

You did such a great job!

[@minV5326]

Wow

[@gix2033]

This is so beautiful and heartwrenching. The colors are perfect for this, and the voice acting is amazing. I hope to make something like this some day :)

[@nightcatssketchbook]

Oh man, I’ve listened to John Green talk about the Kaua’i ‘ō’ō in his “The Anthropocene Reviewed” podcast. When I heard the narrator say that name I knew it was going to be solemn. This is a very lovely film, the softness and gentleness in the narration and the animation work together really well with the subject of the story. Every frame is so nice to look at, and the colors are so bright without being too overwhelming. This really did bring tears to my eyes. Wonderful work to you and those who helped make this. Edit: After a second watch I want to mention just how much I love the contrast between the light and shadow too. Seeing Sinecock and Jacobi standing against this bright yellow-green while the bird and the tape recorder appear bold in the darker foreground. The last lines of the narrator hit me as well. It’s just so heartbreaking that the best he could wish for is that the bird passed away peacefully, because he knows it is too unreasonable to hope it finds a mate. Really sad, but also somehow… hopeful, or optimistic, in a way. I love it.

[@ryoodraws]

First time I watched this, the film rendered me speechless and having watched it over, it's so beautiful seeing all of the details and intricacies put into making this storytelling masterpiece. On top of this film being visually gorgeous, the way you made me feel such connection and empathy for the birds and their history is incredible. STOP BEING AMAZING MICHELLE!

[@timversteeg2826]

It is beautiful to see a creature of this beauty done justice in a way like this. Many of those animals lost to us sadly do not get the privilege to have themselves acknowledged this beautifully. Thank you for telling its tale, even though it is tragic. A most incredible animated film, kudos!

[@unwise.oaktree]

As someone who’s going into studying wildlife conservation and loves birds this touched my heart on a deep level and makes me cry. And as an artist I appreciate everything of your art, the backgrounds, the framing, the lighting and the colors. It all tied together beautifully with the audio and every time I think of this bird I can’t help but cry and you’ve captured it all beautifully

[@Bailey-the-Domain-Keeper]

This bird’s song always makes me sob, the gentle melody, just the way that last bird sang for a reply that would never come; this is one of the reasons why I started pursuing my degree, I want to help make a world where we keep those songs alive in the animals that create them, not just in quietly dying recordings

[@alyssamiller3891]

This is beautifully done. I learned about invasive species a few years ago and how even the smallest creature in the wrong place can make all the difference. I love that his sorrow is subtly acknowledged in not just the extinction of the species but his powerlessness to stop it, though it is his species that eventually caused it.

[@saintrecent]

this hits incredibly, and literally close to home. If you're in the comment section of this video, you've doubtless seen the comment already written by a biologist and theirs helped get me to write this one. Living in Hawai'i, being Hawaiian we are surrounded by the sheer lack of indigenous life in our islands, especially our birds. To anyone who knows the story just hearing the bird sing half it's song is powerful already, but the way I've seen it discussed online before never felt like it got past just being sad. But your animation really feels like it captures the depth of how much it hurts to see how life has changed here as a result of colonization, disease, poaching, all of it. Thank you for giving your time and talents to something like this from my home, and for bringing it to a wider audience.

[@jhonlovestoes3622]

This is absolutely gorgeous. I'm not great with hidden messages, but the bird lying alone in its nest, I'm sure that meant something sad. Like Death alone or without another half. Now that I think about it it's not really hidden that's the whole point isn't it. Lol

[@Grace-sj2bo]

if you're interested in knowing, this bird went extinct. David Attenborough did a documentary about his favourite birds, and I believe this one featured lastly. they caught the last bird song from the last remaining one of its species on a recorder. it was calling for a mate and heard no answer, because all the others had gone extinct. very, very sad.

[@n4h354]

i think for someone who thinks they are not great with hidden messages, you captured the isolation and loneliness of that scene beautifully

[@Arthii_vi]

Ecologist and evolutionary biologist here. It reminds me so much of the species I am working on - the regent honeyeater of Australia - it is critically endangered and we are expecting that it will soon meet it’s fate of extinction no matter how much effort we put into, partly because the population density is so low that they can’t even find each other to mate among all. Exactly what happen in this short animation. This really reminds us that to prevent a species is not to prevent the last few individuals from dying, but to retain a healthy population size and density, and to protect the whole ecosystem that the species is living in. Well done!❤❤

[@Tamaki742]

I just found an article talking about 3 regent honeyeater chicks hatching from reintroducing zoo - bred regents with the wild ones! Is that considered a good thing?

[@morganlei6697]

Soo beautiful. I was at your SJSU presentation and you talked a bit about this film. I just wanted to say that all the thought and care you put into your work does not go unnoticed. This film is so extremely authentic and I can feel the heart you put into it woven into every detail. You and your work are a huge inspiration. Thank you for sharing it and I look forward to the process video!

[@virginiavaccaro7695]

Never cried so much with a short animation. It's flawless in all its aspects: story, dialogues, music, design, animation, aesthetics... all is love and perfection. Hope you get your dreams. Sure you will.

[@wolfystudios8983]

As soon as I heard the audio I went : IS THAT THE BIRD THAT WENT EXTINCT?! 0:39

[@soup1181]

i got so immersed and now i'm crying! over a bird! it's funny how small, trivial things can become so big when you frame them differently. by which i mean that your storytelling in so many mediums is always! chefs kiss!!! it feels so tangible to me. this made me have a lot of emotions and it was amazing to watch thank u for sharing your art with us.

[@TouchingGrass101]

i have been sobbing to my friend about this for the past 10 minutes. I've seen this short 4 times and each time it's just more and more heartbreaking to watch

[@2DFiji]

The animation breathes like a somber and yet familiar sadness as it whispers goodbye. I get that were trying to save animals that are going extinct but it's sad when we get to that point because of human intervention through negligence and or ignorance. Thank you so much for making this it lives on through this animation too.

[@moriahvanderwalde5315]

omg i missed you edit: im crying bc of a bird

[@jhonlovestoes3622]

Saaaaaaaaame!

[@m.a.d.5029]

that bird recording always breaks my heart, thank you for this short film

[@geminijones3414]

I’m absolutely in love with your use of color and abstract themes in art, especially the way the forest was painted! The story itself as presented here was also absolutely amazing as well and incredibly heart-wrenching (you had me tearing up a bit with that ending monologue…like WOW.) I could just scream into the void about awesome this film is, straight-up.

[@casperlyvv]

i cried over a 3 minute animation. this is beautiful and the small implied story is gorgeous and so well done. you know your good at writing and telling a story when you can make multiple people cry 2 minutes in.

[@stretchyleaf]

I love so much about the art style of this. Familiar yet exotic and foreign. I broke my collarbone last week and have been immobile, bored of everything I see. I was greatly missing my late grandfather who passed in 2019 when I came across this film. He would have loved this. He was a wise, quiet man who loves science and math. I was missing him so badly, almost wishing to be a child again clutching onto a stuffed animal toy he'd gifted me, watching nature documentaries in his living room as he sat silently in his reclining chair. This made me cry and feel so close to him. He lives on in my memories, and this film really fanned the flames of his essence in my heart. Thank you for this. I've been in need of something, but I never thought it would be a film a stranger made. I love birds and art, and I am so grateful this film exists. Thank you for publishing it. It's so deeply beautiful and immersive.

[@rabidduolingogirl]

It’s crazy, because I’ve not only dreamed of going to CalArts from the start, but I’ve also had an undying obsession with birds and animation. So glad this came up on my feed.

[@mayleespann4552]

It’s a rare artist that can make me feel something in three minutes. In such a short time, you made me feel sorrow for the ‘ō‘ō and also for the biologist. The last bird seemed to symbolize his own feelings of loneliness and loss.

[@soupspeaks4942]

I first learned about the O'o in 4th grade. One of my teachers (I had three) taught us Hawaiian studies, and we eventually reached the topic of the native bird species. It felt weird, learning about how different the Hawaiian Islands used to be. I grew up surrounded by cities and suburbs and tourism, but there are now only a few scattered pockets of wilderness on the islands, and the island I live on has no native species of birds, and they're all either threatened, endangered or extinct. It's been a decade since, and sometimes the O'o and its story crosses my mind. Imagine calling out into the wilderness, calling out to your kind, but one day never getting a response back ever again. Even if their minds work differently from ours, that still sounds like a scary way to die.

[@maryagrimm8412]

I'm literally crying over a bird... when I was a lonely homeschooling kid, I spent a lot of time in the forest, and I had a love for it to the point where a tree cut down or a road killed animal would haunt me for days. This film brought a small part of who I was back to the surface.

[@ashcasseragonzalez3701]

not me crying, this is one of the saddest stories. I learned about these birds in sophomore year of high school and it still breaks my heart anytime I think about them. This is beautiful work, you should be immensely proud

[@SpmPl88]

I haven't sobbed over a KZbin video in a long time, but I bawled my eyes out for this. Once I heard the bird's name I knew where this was going, but the story still hit me like a freight train all the same. Bravo, fantastic work!

[@julianabaionimusic]

It’s so hard to put into words how this video made me feel. Others have made comments about the art, the storytelling, the recording and how it made them cry… I agree with it all. I started bawling. I think… as a musician, it hurts knowing that this adorable, loving call and response has been forever removed from the music of this sphere. To hear the one call, and not have the “resolution” of the response just… hurt. Then to see the bird react to the recording, hopefully as first then slowly coming to the realization it wasn’t who it was looking for… broke me. Thank you for your artistry and for stewarding this tragic and beautifully woven account. May it give pause to all who see and hear it.

[@rest.in.pieces]

Oh my god, this is enlightening! So beautifully put together, the screenplay is stunning! I thank you for being able to witness this masterpiece!

[@AN-te4ij]

So beautiful. I cried with it's message. What have we done to this planet, our home, their home....?

[@TouchingGrass101]

whenever i need a good cry, i come back to this and bawl my fuckinng eyes out it's amazing

[@tshering.l.a]

i cried when he realised that it was just a tape recorder... such a beautiful film!

[@mewumu9071]

Thanks, I cried :')) working on my bio degree right now and the amount of species were loosing is absolutely soul crushing. I'm glad we have beautiful art like this to keep their memories alive

[@Darius_The_CIairvoyant]

It gets me every time. I have a connection with birds. I have a chicken in my room whom follows me even up mountains. I collect feathers and put them in every nook and cranny of my house. I dream to be an ornithologist and to protect and raise birds. Not only does the guy in the film make me yearn for that future, but also saddens me me with the sight of a bird whom cannot be saved.

[@Zephirite.]

Just noticed the paper-like style, typed words blending into the forest, and numbers in the sky fit the inspiration being Jacobi’s journal. Brilliant and beautiful. I cry every time I watch this. I didn’t think it was possible for a student short film to achieve that so so consistently, so now I have a new goal to pursue if I ever get to make one. Thanks for that.

[@darklordoftheuniverse7803]

As someone that grew up in the bush and learn to mimic bird sounds this short touch my soul. I remember mimicking Raven calls and a raven soaping down from the treetops to landing next to me and sang to me as I did to the raven♡

[@ink-ami280]

I shed a tear. It's wonderfully made.

[@tertain4795]

AAUAUUUGHGHGHHH oh man… oh man this touches my heart so much. As an avid bird lover, the story of extinct birds always makes me sob, and this one the most so. This is beautiful. I really truly love that this is about birds… I thought it would use the birdsong as a symbolic thing, but no it’s… it’s about birds. And our impact on them as well as our relationship with them. I really love this.

[@l3lugu]

I haven't cried like this in so long. Beautifully told and animated, this is an amazing work, congratulations.

[@eledamame]

i come back to this film again and again and everytime it squeezes my heart and brings me to tears

[@alphapuph]

welp… now im crying and thinking bout birds. the animation, music, sounds, voice acting was all *chefs kiss*

[@elianigonzalez8868]

I came here after watching an Instagram video about the extinction of the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, I read a comment of someone talking about your shortfilm and wanted to see it for myself. Thank you for putting out such beautiful work, especially when it sheds light to events like this, it trully broke my heart, yet made it feel warm.

[@barbaraespinosa]

I have no words to describe how it made me feel. Every shot is not only beautiful, but precisely selected to let you into the emotion of the story, which is so hard to convey in 3 minutes. You are indeed an amazing director.

[@rebeccamcclary]

In a few short minutes you captured something so fragile, heartbreaking, and devastating. Beautiful and powerful. I know and love Kauai and feel like I know this bird's song. It must be from a distant past. Grateful to those who cared enough to record things that would soon be lost to history so that we may know and understand them today.

[@littlelynx243]

I did not expect to cry over this but here we are

[@nylaofarda4875]

As an avid birder and someone who is studying multimedia design, this is such a beautiful combination of skills and stories that capture a deep emotion. Very skilful and wonderfully done.

[@Tipsy_Turby]

The execution was perfect. I love how you integrate words, or pieces of text into the animation! This brought me to tears. Amazing work as always. Mad respect. :))))

[@Pvnk_Eternal]

I wasn't expecting to learn so much about a bird and a species in just 2 and a half minutes. This was something I wasn't ready for, but I clicked on the title anyways hoping for something simple to watch.. only to sit here in silence reading the comments and feeling just as everyone else.. touched and saddened. What a powerful moment. Thank you for your work.

[@engine3378]

I come back to watch this film so often. It's such a sad story... it leaves me with a warm, lonely feeling that I keep with me always. I'd like to think that by watching this we're not only reminding ourselves to not repeat mistakes that have led to the extinction of this beautiful bird, but we're also keeping the memory, although melancholic, of the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō alive. Thanks to everyone who worked on this, it's truly a gift.

[@neesheeneeshee6433]

This is one of my favourite works of Art out on the internet, this is the second time I’ve returned to watch it, I know it won’t be my last. There are so many things I love about this short, I don’t even know where to start. All I can say now is, Thank you 🙏🏾 ❤

[@roll6331]

Wow when I clicked on this i really wasn’t expecting this 3 minute animation to make me tear up….. amazing story telling for just 3 minutes, captivating so many emotions, joy and happiness for finding the birds at first, then loneliness, shock, sympathy and responsibility when there was only one bird left, followed by grief, sorrow, but also warmth, how the bird still remembers and calls for it’s partner, and in the end a release, forgiveness, and hope….

[@beantownsanims]

oh my god. this almost made me cry. so well done; the animation was perfect and the style was perfect and i loved the story. thanks for making my morning just a little brighter 🙌

[@mushroomtown5922]

Seeing this now, this makes me cry. I literally starting crying When the bird started singing to the recorded loop.

[@campbell_soup517]

This gave me chills. Every part of it. The beauty and color and style of the artwork, the fluidity of the animation, the crisp music and sounds, and the sad story being told. You truly are the most artful storyteller.

[@lobajackson5495]

I don't know what to say to adress the feelings this work of art blew inside me, but I am in ugly tears and I want to say thank you. Thank you for making this. Shall this litle bird's storry never be forgotten. I am an ornithologyst in the making and the Kaua'i 'õ'õ 's call will always haunt me.

[@Muiiart]

MICHELLE!!! 💚💛🧡 ily!!! from the moment I first saw this at open show, literally on the edge of tears, this film is so beyond beautiful In every single way. You inspire me so deeply !!!

[@emilyphan1360]

This is fantastically touching. It captures the feeling of loss, of looking for someone who will never return. Not only did this tug at my heartstrings, but it served as a beautiful reminder of the impact that humans have on the earth's ecosystem. Your choice of colors and artistry have brought this story to life, in a meaningful and impactful way. Incredible work

[@krowes5468]

this film is a masterpiece, the visuals and the music always give me chills. im currently a third year biology student, and if it weren't for this film I don't think i would have pursued the course in the first place. thank you so much

[@heirapparent8217]

Truly moving. I’m so sorry the world has lost them.

[@lauraceae8037]

I’m studying biology now, and this film is so hauntingly beautiful for me. Watching birds in my backyard is part of what got me so in love with the natural world. I found out about this bird before seeing this, and hearing it’s call along with this animation feels like an homage to the species and to the biologists and naturalists grasping at fading species. Such an amazing animation!

[@pool_maintenance5474]

This is incredible. That’s all I can put into words. I want to be able to tell stories like you one day.

[@dasha_jh7]

I am litterally crying so much. Imagine being the last of your kind and still desperately searching for love. I feel so much pain for this and as a writer who always writes about love and how my greatest tragedy would be someone not finding their soulmate or their soulmaye dying before them im so emotional right now

[@bettylaw6326]

The voice of the narrator is touching and beautiful, he drew our emotions towards the story. This is a very loving film.

[@dragonbornluna5274]

I listen to this beautiful bird call often. Heartbroken I will never hear it without my phone. Shattered we lost such a beautiful bird.

[@tundranone8366]

I had to go back to the part where the pair is still alive to sing together, because to sit with the ending just hurts too much. As someone who loves nature and art (and their song is one of the most artful things i've ever heard, as is this short one of the most artful things I've seen made by people) above all else, my heart is absolutely broken. May someone see and be moved by this gorgeous, bleak story who is in a position to help stop the misuse of the planet on a mass scale.

[@maddjean]

I have no words. Tears in my eyes! Thank you so much for making this.

[@julesbtwnteeth]

This was beautiful oh god. Your animations just keep getting better and better and your creativity and care can be seen in every detail of this 🥺 every little thing just has *meaning*

[@daisytapia7038]

Can't tell you how hard I started weeping. I have a huge love for animals, and watching this broke my heart. 💔

[@catnipped3354]

holds it gently ahhhhh it's so melancholic in the more beautiful way! i love the introduction of the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō from the birds flying in a circle at 0:17 to the camera flying upwards through trees and the birdsong. you have a way of using vintage paper ephemera textures like biological diagrams and illustrations that just adds so! much! flavour !into your animations. Not to mention the backgrounds. ugh your use of colour. lighting. It's so magical. This video made my day and cleared my artblock chefs kiss kudos thank you so much for sharing

[@Nixie172]

My goodness I cried, the audio and the animation style sit so perfectly together

[@crispyein8601]

Wow… absolutely gorgeous… The colors of this film are so whimsical and warm and really elevate the lonely emotions. Really nice framing and composition on every shot, it was always clear what was happening on screen. I can totally see your improvements and what you have learned at calarts. Beautifully executed!

[@headfunk5646]

i come back to this work every once in a while and think about it even more than that it really left an impression on me. the art direction, the animation, the tone and just the way the story is told so delicate yet sincerely

[@citritx]

This was animated so well. You are an inspiration to me, and all the animation students out there. The Kaua'i 'o'o definitely has one of the most painful stories out there. Everytime I revisit its story, i can't help but feel my heart hurt. This film is so beautifully crafted, with amazing animation sequences and scenes. I found myself crying by the end. The worst bit is knowing that they were not the last of their species; but the entire 'o'o family. Thank you for this animation. It was beautiful and heartbreaking. i’ve rewatched it countless of times, and i cry my eyes out every time.

[@ms.aguilar4077]

Just came across this beautiful and heartbreaking film and am crying silent tears in my office. Thank you for this masterpiece, every image and word is beautifully crafted and the message also gently crafted, but unmistakable.

[@nacioanacona]

I loved every single thing about this short film. I've been watching your videos for quite some time now, and I can confidently say that your art has been a huge inspiration for me during the last 2 years. It's amazing to see how you manage to portray your vision in every image you create, yet you can spot the dedication and passion placed into every small detail. I'm truly amazed by the visual language that the short film uses, giving it a sense of being the "journal" where John Sincock would have wrote his thoughts, but also how everything feels like his distant and nostalgic memory of Kauai. Also, it's incredible how much you've made us care about this bird, the scenes where very emotional and spiritual for me, and I think that's wonderful. The colors, the animation, the bird designs, the music, I loved every aspect of it. Again, I'm in love with how this short film turned out! Thank you for bringing this film to life and to put so much effort into it :'D Without a doubt you're a big inspiration to a lot of us, and I can't wait to see what you come up with next! 💙✨

[@madeleinekimball6675]

this is one of the most beautiful things i’ve ever seen. barely three minutes and i am genuinely weeping. i will never forget this

[@Anim3lov3rs_riseup]

I am love with this ❤️ The first time I heard about the story of the Kauai O’o and the last song I sobbed uncontrollably just from the audio. With this the animation/art style, the story, everything is absolutely beautiful 💕

[@rohanumenor]

The most heartbreakingly beautiful thing I've watched in a long, long time. Thank you, thank you for this. Out of words really ❤

[@BeffJuckley1116]

I’m in love, this is the best thing I’ve ever seen. Your ability to show emotion through your art is amazing. Just the colors and everything about this makes me so happy

[@sheepsoups]

just found this and started crying, it was beautiful

[@blueiridescence]

That ending absolutely shattered me. This was such a thoughtfully created work of art. Every scene and every sound is so touching and beautiful, almost hauntingly so. And the contrast of the melancholy narration and sounds with the seemingly bright colors is mesmerizing. So much said in three minutes. Kudos to you 💙 p.s. that sundial (was it a sundial in the beginning there?) is so so pretty

[@fransscholl8069]

I didn't see this video for a long time, and yet I genuinely cryed when I heard the responding to the call, and tried cuddle with the recorder, as if another bird was inside. I still love it to this day, and I'm sure that even if I re-watch it in a few month, I will definitely cry again