Parrots - CalArts 2023 Animated Short Film

Parrots is about two girls growing up in San Gabriel Valley. They chatter about the clouds that float in the sky, the screeching green parrots, and their pregnant principal. As they observe and repeat things they don’t yet understand, they live and grow in a world far more connected than they realize.
In short, I just wanted to make a short that encapsulates and untangles the feelings I feel when I hear the SoCal feral parrots that come out during sunset!
Music is scored by the brilliant Ryan Yoshikami!
www.ryanyoshikami.com/
I was so lucky and grateful to have had animation help by Adam Musa, Andy Bella, Kim Nguyen and Kenet Garcia Rojas! The biggest thanks to them for helping me finish this film.
Also really big hug and thanks to Christina Giordano, Anya Martin, Rachel Wang and Aya Rapaport who helped tremendously with coloring shots!!
Thank you to my friends and family who helped me with this film!! xoxo
You can find my other work in these places too:
www.jennifernie.com/
/ atjennie
/ atjennifernie

[@hacky_sackin]

The kids talking to each other is one of the best parts 😂

[@yllanew]

WOW!!! oh my god... i don't even know how to explain the emotions this film made me feel. the colors and dialogue especially made me soo nostalgic even tho my childhood was different...makes me miss times i didn't have. the small detail of the mom and daughter clinking the coins the same way was sooo good. and just the way everything begins to overlap.. the clouds, the "mama" and the pregnant teacher, the parrots (obvi). idk exactly what it means but we're all connected, share experiences and can find new meaning through other ppl... just gorgeous i loved it so much

[@norresnotlost]

the dialogue feels so natural, like i remember talking about bras and being kinda rude like that when i was younger.

[@Flip_pilF]

This film is so cute and confortable to watch. The dialogue is so natural that is doesn't even look like a scripted thing, almost like if someone filmed the day of this 2 girls and they are just literally having normal conversations. Its pretty hard to get dialogue to feel natural and is especially harder for kids dialogue. But u nailed it so, so well, better then most high budget movies you see out there. Amazing job!!!!!!!!

[@user-ju6mi1xd9t]

the way the parrots kite and kids kite fly together at the end is so beautiful. the kids are not native to LA and are loud but still a part of the community, just like the parrots.

[@flumazee]

The kids are characterised so well and the dialogue are so realistic ahha. As an Australian born Chinese every single scene in this animation brings back so much memories from preschool and middle school!! :,) Thank you for this masterpiece

[@luisafliess]

I love this. Everything feels so natural, real. The daily lives of all these people, their connections, being a kid. I can see all the love that was poured into making this film. It really shines through

[@mya10121]

I feel like you captured my young school years very well. Plus, the dialogue and mannerisms between the characters felt very real. Great job!

[@sonomahai]

I’ve been struggling emotionally a lot and somehow this film reminded me of being alive. The colors and character interactions feel so real it puts you back in your own younger memories

[@thishandleisalreadytaken449]

These characters talk like actual children I love it

[@patchouli_prince]

So cool to see the backdrops of childhood rendered so beautifully into a film... So charming, so heartfelt..!! As someone who grew up there too, you really did the place justice. LOVE IT!!!

[@belengaaaaa]

this is the best short film i've seen so far this year T-T the memories and nostalgia ambience of it all, I cried, I'm still crying, thank you for sharing I can't, I can't right now, I love this film so much.

[@wazzupgecko]

This is one of the most beautiful stories of childhood I have ever seen. I am absolutely delighted to see these two kids growing into lively little people :'^)

[@dinosaurclub]

This is my favourite CalArts short for the year amongst all years. Jennifer this was so damn good. The character designs were cute, the backgrounds were beautiful, the dialogue perfectly captured, was truly amazing. You did something very few animators in your school do and that's capture and show heart. Truly amazing. No doubt, I'll be seeing your name in the bright lights. Please acknowledge me senpai so I can tell my kids I interacted with you.

[@Slim_Vervenet]

Cute little movie. The conversations between these two young girls were so random, it was funny. 😂

[@zigzaq]

This was so sweet :’) haven’t seen this feeling captured so well in a while

[@Bopsterjazz]

I hope you got some kind of award for this because it’s seriously SO GOOD. The style is so great, the storytelling is fantastic and the coin thing! GAH. I love it so so much.

[@Felix_the_forestcat]

This is such a good portrayal of kids, especially the conversations

[@kiff_pippi]

Oh man, this was just so lovely! what a heartwarming piece :')

[@moksha.m]

omg the nostalgia Im getting from the read aloud and those colorred carpets that we sad on and the silly looking glasses and the cursive letters on the wall and the girl doing that thing with the coins and then at 4:41 that specific like.. beat or whatever I dont know what the other language is being spoken in this video but still its incredibly relatable

[@yalejosie]

oh my god as someone who grew up in the area, this short hit me in the heart. thank you

[@kella5082]

this film was so well made!! I'm so glad I stumbled upon this video. The conversations between the girls were natural and the mix of english and cantonese brought a smile to my face with how accurate and perfect it was. The artstyle and composition of many of the scenes were also incredibly well done. Great work :)

[@nunchijeu]

I can’t really explain why but I burst into tears at the end. I love this. Thanks for making it.

[@carmonobre802]

Soo amazing Love it!

[@maripaixao3795]

Achei incrível a naturalidade dos diálogos sobre o universo feminino, e que afetam meninas e mulheres de maneiras diferentes. Na minha infância, eu lembro com muita clareza de ter pensamentos muito parecidos com esses, rs Obrigada também por compartilhar um pouco da sua cultura conosco :) Abraços do Brasil.

[@janimatics]

This was incredible! The style and story was so beautiful! It felt nostalgic and new all at once! Im gonna watch this so many more times I can feel it.

[@thursday_concerns]

This was poetic

[@butt0nzdrawzz]

THIS US SO UNDERRATED!!!!!

[@luzzyluz67457]

All the times the parrots showed up so I can show them to by bird obsessed brother: 0:01 4:50 6:05

[@mardefondo1774]

This was soooo beautiful... I'm crying....

[@dnpanimationstudio382]

Love seeing them talk. Feels very real and sweet💖💖

[@biblicallyaccurateangel707]

breathtaking

[@LoadBondBond]

I loved this so much and it’s funny cause kids do talk like that

[@varvarasavvon]

почему я плачу…. я из россии но это показалось мне таким родным и приятным…. я в восторге от анимации…. вы очень талантливы, у меня нет слов

[@JonniPeppers]

Parrots time

[@anushwah]

What the hell why did this make me cry 😭 you captured the magic of childhood...

[@OBecs]

This is so beautiful and heartfelt and just...art. well done!

[@epicminecraft4143]

没想到会包括广东话在里面。身为马来西亚人，这让我感觉幸运能听懂整个对话哈哈因为通常这些影片都是包括听不懂的外语，而这影片是华语和广东。然后那个拼音mamamama的部分那些回忆直接冲上来了，还有那个汽车读音的例子，非常有同感

[@totallynotyourreality2208]

I absolutely loved this fillm! The art style, the dialogue, everything. It was really beautifully made

[@pickles9209]

this was WONDERFUL!!!! from toe to tip!! the dialogue, colors, and environments were amazing. and the lovely cute/funny style. with the pencily lines

[@JMPT]

Greatly Nice 🖍️

[@cjs4279]

This makes me want to sob

[@blubberfish]

When she had to default to saying "cloud" because she didn't know what it's equivalent was in Cantonese...I felt that in my soul...

[@JoyTaylor-101]

They both act so sassy although their in kindergarten

[@corradovacca3477]

this is beautiful, i love it thank you so much for your work, the narration fits so good with colors shapes and sounds, it has been nostalgia chills from the first frame, i'll watch everything from this channel (i found you in the related channels list from jonni philips)

[@0000syuable]

「児童画」のような絵のタッチが素晴らしいです！！ 「青色」の輪郭線もなかなか効果的ですね！

[@sparklepiss9141]

extremely excellent

[@jingqizhang7779]

Jennnie!!! the childhood is very relatable

[@TCAoldarchive]

glad to see you here lol

[@leraginasian]

Beautiful!

[@aliensphinx8643]

beautiful

[@ijlayugan4149]

Beautiful film. Just a simple day in life

[@nathaliedrinkstea]

This was so good. Perfect!

[@Arty_Apple_Bee]

So relatable and wholesome, and I love the art !

[@ameyasunil2045]

i am so glad i stumbled upon this ❤

[@nonishanegi]

so lovely!

[@2roorin]

i loved this so much it was so fun to watch and it brought back a lot of happy memories!!

[@unclekonrad]

i really liked this a LOT!!

[@treeghost45]

this is so amazing

[@fascher_]

This was gorgeous, I love the atmosphere you created ❤

[@twashcat360]

ahhhh this was so cute!!!!

[@riverkoenig9673]

This is wonderful.

[@cirecrux]

This made my brain tickle in a nice way

[@mochafrappe243]

No me thinking when they were going past the train tracks a train was gonna hit them 💀

[@Aseriesoffaces]

this is beautiful...the kids are so funny

[@nathanhollow0]

how charming

[@mrarrogant3915]

This is masterpiece I really like it

[@angelixcaa]

love the way you used actual chinese!

[@earth2cody]

I'm sobbing sm

[@danieschenkekraft7199]

Just. Nice. :)

[@qeqeuna1440]

so pretty everything

[@siewlybie]

This was lovely.. 😄

[@gcidaria]

NICE SHORT VIDEO ID'LIKE IT SO MUCH, CONGRATULATION

[@xyeB]

Cute oarrors

[@user-nq6ov1lp5d]

好喜欢这种风格，很舒服ye

[@ptolemaicfoxxo3032]

I thought drawing birds with two mouths was just my own problem i had XD

[@Mabelliot]

yasss cuminonimbus and pineapplebuns

[@JGM.86]

3:22 im literally learning from a short film 😂

[@vinagorr]

I dead just cried. what is going on

[@kingpoliceofc.daddydickdjw5965]

⭐⭐⭐ : 🌟

[@kingpoliceofc.daddydickdjw5965]

DANBOORU ™

[@PeaceAcademy29]

Beautiful!!!