Weeds (I) (2017) User Reviews

A Good First Effort for Writer-Director Hudson

[boblipton · 6/10 · 14 February 2018]

After seeing its fellow dandelions struck down by weedkiller, a lone survivor uproots itself and struggles across the dry concrete towards the next well-watered lawn.

This was another of the "recommended" shorts added to bring the Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts of 2018 up to full length. At 3 minutes, it seems a bare trifle, but it is a lovely little tale of struggle and hope and despair. It's writer-director Kevin Hudson's first credit in both those lines -- he's moved up through the animation ranks, but he knows how to bring a basic, understandable character to a common weed. Let's hope he grows and continues to do well in what has always been a difficult branch of the film-making industry to prosper in.

one of the commended films.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 13 February 2018]

Each year around Oscars time, the films nominated for Best Animated Short are shown at selected venues across the States. However, most years the 5 or 6 nominees are only about an hour long, or less. So they also include several so-called 'Commended films'...ones that apparently are very good but did not earn a nomination.

As for "Weeds", it's really too simple a film to give it a higher score. However the animation is excellent. It's a story about a dandelion that is dying on a dry patch of lang...and what it does in order to try to survive.

Walkin' Weeds

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 7/10 · 22 December 2017]

This was a very nice little animation, I liked the music and I loved how vivid and brightly colourful the visuals were, it was uplifting to look at, and after a sad beginning it did have a hopeful ending. Most of the short until the end though sure isn't the happiest little tale there ever was, who'd think you could feel so sad over poor dandelion wildflowers choking and dying in the baking heat? It really did start to get to me a little though and I did start to get a little something in my eye when the surviving flower uprooted itself and collapsed right before it could make it to the precious water. It straight-up dies but does live on through its beautiful scattered seedlings, so it does have a happy ending, but the getting there isn't so easy.. I'm not sure what the moral or metaphor is supposed to be here, but I don't think you always have to look too much into the tiny cutesy animated shorts like this, I just enjoy it at face value. Uh..life goes on? Sometimes to reach the star of what you most desire you have to lose along the way in order to eventually win in the long run? So anyway I do love those dandelions, I never considered them weeds, to me true weeds are those nasty little stinging things that grow in the neglected nooks and crevices of gravestones and such, dandelions are pretty! I love how even though it doesn't even have a face you get every little thing the surviving flower is feeling through the movements, and it looked so comical and bizarre when it was running along on its little root legs for a moment! So Weeds is a very cute and worthwhile animation to watch, just be prepared for how sad certain moments of it are. It's not perfect but it is a short with legs, and is very sweet. X "The sunshine smiles upon the winter days of my heart, never doubting of its spring flowers."

Cute little idea and fairly solid execution

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 18 March 2021]

"Weeds" is an American (really) short film of under three minutes and as you can see from the poster here on imdb, this one is animated. The writer and director is Kevin Hudson, a pretty prolific visual effects artist since the end of the last millennium already and the outcome here is his only effort as the man in charge of writing and directing. Not too bad for a first film, his experience in other fields clearly shows. And as this is from 2017, so not even five years old now, there could be the option that he eventually manages to direct a full feature film at some point. Who knows. The awards attention here was surely a lot with this film scoring wins in America, Britain and Mexico. Disney was involved with this, but just indirectly it seems, which would also explain why the number of votes here on imdb is not as gigantic as it would be if this was an official Disney production. Them being credited with it nonetheless is because Hudson has worked on Disney productions in the past. This was also submitted to the Oscars, but did not make the short list. Oh and I must add that the title has nothing to do with drugs.

As for the story, we have a little dandelion with the heart of a lion that is really in the dry soil and it is so thirsty, so it sees the rainbow and all the water a few meters away and decides to head off. Honestly, I did not think it could be able to walk here, but it does. The movements are not the problem, the hot asphalt is though. Briefley before reaching its goal it collapses, but there is still a very sweet happy ending instore that will warm your heart a little bit. Now we also know why Hudson picked a dandelion for the main character and no other flower. I think this film started not too great and the rushed background with all the other flowers dying could have been handled a little bit better, but it was still alright. In my opinion, it became better the longer it went and the ending is surely the highlight, also with these noises from the small flowers. Speaking of noises, it's all about music and sound effects in here. No dialogues. That far evolved the flower is not, but walking is already quite a thing nonetheless. This also means that you can watch the film whatever languages you don't speak. And I think you should. A pretty sweet little movie for all the young ones and just as much for the ones young at heart. It's also easier to find now than it was a while ago. For me, it's a thumbs-up and not really a close call either. See it. Good animation and story for under 200 seconds.