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

Prairie Blue
(uncredited)
Music by Judith Gruber-Stitzer
Lyrics by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis
Sung by Chaim Tannenbaum
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Lovely to look at but otherwise not especially noteworthy
13 February 2008 | by MartinHafer – See all my reviews

WHEN THE DAY BREAKS was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2000. It lost to the amazing THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA--a truly great film due its brilliant graphics.

WHEN THE DAY BREAKS looked like a beautiful cartoon in search of a plot. It is very lovely to look at and at times is very stunning visually, but it also seems as if all the energy went into the graphics and little went into the plot--like it was, at best, of secondary importance. After you get over the impact of the great graphics and that all the animals are anthropomorphized (i.e., look and act like people), then what occurs seems dull and the early 30s style of music does nothing to perk it up in the least. It's worth a look--especially for artists, but just expect to be particularly engaged.
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