6.8/10
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When the Day Breaks (1999)

| Animation , Short , Comedy | 5 September 1999 (USA)
When the Day Breaks Poster
A chance encounter, a juicy yellow lemon and an unfortunate twist of fate will reveal that the symbiotic relationship between people is inextricable.

Directors:

Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby

Writer:

Wendy Tilby (concept)
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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 19 wins & 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Storyline

A rooster has his last biscuit for breakfast and goes grocery shopping. A pig prepares her breakfast (potato peelings, with the potatoes thrown in the trash) and discovers she needs more milk. Their paths cross, a lemon falls into the sewer, and both lives are changed. Written by Jon Reeves <jreeves@imdb.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

f rated | triple f rated | breakfast | animal protagonist | dripping tap | See All (67) »

Genres:

Animation | Short | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Musical

Certificate:

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Parents Guide:

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Details

Official Sites:

Acme Filmworks | National Film Board of Canada | See more »

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 1999 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Cuando el día se rompe See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Film Board of Canada (NFB),Office national du film du Canada (ONF) See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Nomination for Oscar - Best Animated Short Film, 2000. See more »

Connections

Edited into The Animation Show 2005 (2005) See more »

Soundtracks

Chickenbone Waltz
(uncredited)
Music by Judith Gruber-Stitzer
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User Reviews

 
representative animals
25 December 2016 | by lee_eisenberg – See all my reviews

Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis are a Canadian animation team. Early in their careers they contributed animation to a documentary about Noam Chomsky. In 1999 they released a cartoon short that received an Academy Award nomination: "When the Day Breaks". This short uses animals as an allegory for people's relationships with each other. I liked what they did with it. The short reminds us that not every animated production has to be an extravagant feature with the voices of celebrities.

I read that to create the scenes for "When the Day Breaks", Tilby and Forbis shot scenes with a Hi-8 camera, printed stills from the footage, and then drew on the stills. The short took approximately four years to complete. In the end, it had a good result. I'd like to see more of their work.

The short is available on the National Film Board of Canada's website.
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