Having a dog lead in a Disney film is no new concept. “101 Dalmatians”, “The Fox and the Hound”, “Bolt” — all of these have various breeds of man’s best friend front and center. Disney’s latest short film “Feast” also features an adorable pooch, but unlike those aforementioned mutts, Winston doesn’t speak — he’s just your everyday, average, Boston terrier… with a big appetite.
“Feast” follows the story of a stray dog and his adoptive owner. Told mostly through a series of quick cuts, we see the development of Winston’s relationship with his master through the meals they share. Think the montage in “Up” except you’ll come away hungry instead of depressed.
Director Patrick Osbourne says the idea for the film came from his experience with the popular app 1 Second Everyday. As he explains, he had a film of dinners he had each day when the idea for film hit him. “I thought it might be cool to see if I could… tell a story through food,” he said.
The story is told from Winston’s point of view. Because of this, much of the film focuses directly the treats in his bowl (or lack there of) and pays little mind to the rest of the world. However, this changes throughout the short as his priorities shift and his friendships evolve.
If it seems that a story about a culinary-obsessed canine might not have the same amount of emotion as a short like 2012’s “Paper Man” did, think again. While the film has plenty of great humor, it is not all slapstick and gluttony. Like any good Disney film, “Feast” will tug at your heartstrings before leaving you with a gratifying smile.
As far as the animation goes, it is unlike anything we’ve really seen before. Osbourne, who served as the head of animation of “Paper Man”, stated that with that film they were, “playing around with… ways to make animation look a little different than our features do and different than everything else.”
It’s hard to say after only one viewing, but I think “Feast” might just be right up there with “Paper Man” in my eyes. As fun as last year’s “Get A Horse!” was (especially with its inclusion of actual Walt Disney voice recordings), I really fell for the brand of storytelling utilized here.
What’s even more surprising about this revelation is that this is Osbourne’s first foray into the world of story, coming from a strictly animation background. Of course walking him through the entire process was John “Story is King” Lasseter, so I suppose that helps. Whatever the two did to develop this high-calorie tale into a story of heart and not heart-attack worked wonders.
“Feast” will play before Big Hero 6 which opens November 7.