Academy Award nominee Dave Mullins (of Pixar’s Lou) is back on the Oscars Best Animated Short Film shortlist. He has directed WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko. Learn how Mullins took an iconic song and paired it with a powerful story to create a short that will likely be talked about long after awards season is over. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Where did it begin for you: with the two men, with the pigeon, or somewhere else?

Dave Mullins: I’m glad you feel that way! As a filmmaker, it’s so rewarding to hear that someone has connected with your story. The story for WAR IS OVER! came out of a meeting Sean Lennon and I had in the summer of 2021. Sean wanted to make a short film that honored his parents’ song “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” and their anti-war message. Sean and I both strongly believe in that message and needed to figure out a way to best tell that in a narrative short film. We felt there were two primary story elements that needed to be in the film. First we wanted two soldiers on opposing sides of a war (who don’t know each other) to ultimately connect as people at the end of the film. And second we needed to show the true cost of war: the loss of innocent life. From there we discussed the best way to illustrate those concepts and the idea of the game of chess via carrier pigeon was born out of those conversations.

JM: I think going dialogue-free was very smart. Why did you choose this approach?

DM: It was important that the film be universal and timeless so it could reach all audiences, and to me the story would be most powerful without dialogue. We wanted to find the exact right moment for the song in Thomas Newman’s incredibly emotional score. The score really is the voice of the characters and I find that approach to be very poetic and appealing in the short film format.

JM: How did you want to depict the brutality and camaraderie of war?

DM: Realistically. We didn’t want to pull any punches. We really wanted the audience to feel emotionally what the soldiers were going through and the connection and deep loss that they were experiencing. I wanted an emotional arc that began with the overbearing cruelty of war, then humanity begins to creep in as the soldiers connect via our hero pigeon and the game of chess. Then I wanted that humanity to be torn away and rebuilt once again at the climax of the film when we play John & Yoko’s song. That seesaw emotional journey is very true to my personal life experiences.

JM: How was it collaborating with the star-studded talent involved, including Yoko Ono and Peter Jackson?

DM: It was fantastic. Yoko is obviously the reason this entire film exists. Her and John’s message is what drove the story and gave us the opportunity to create this film in the first place. Peter was incredibly supportive and really just let us make the film we wanted. He had notes here and there that were always spot on and elevated the film but for the most part he let us do what we thought was best. I’ve never experienced that kind of freedom and I am very grateful for both him and Yoko.

JM: What was the most challenging aspect of making “WAR IS OVER!” and why?

DM: Well, it’s kind of funny. The song itself was the hardest part. It’s the entire reason we made this film but finding a way to introduce it in the film was really not working for a long time. It felt forced and that was the opposite effect we wanted. It really wasn’t until Thomas Newman got involved that it was solved because the music is such an important part of the film.

JM: Newman is an incredible composer. What do you love about the music he brings to this?

DM: I would need an hour to really answer this question! But I’ll try… Thomas Newman is my all-time favorite composer and I’ve listened to his scores almost daily since the 90s. There are so many things I love about his music. His sound is unlike any other composer from both an instrumental standpoint but also from an emotional standpoint. The way he voices emotion in film through score is wholly unique. He is somehow able to create music that speaks to the underlying emotion of what is happening in a scene and elevates it in a way that connects directly to your heart.

DM: When we were working on the score for this film, he began by making musical sketches that were broad statements and assumptions. This made it very easy to discuss what was and wasn’t working and he was able to very adjust quickly based on our conversations. By working rough to fine, it made it easy to find the voice of the film. Also when it came to the handling of the song, I had a lot of instincts that made me want to be careful about how we introduced it. But his approach to it was to confidently let the score and the song have their own voices in the film. I wanted to maybe echo the song in the score, but he felt that we should do the opposite and he was absolutely correct. Those types of decisions can make or break a film with no dialogue and we were so lucky to have his expertise on this film.

JM: What do you hope audiences take away from the theme of unlikely friendship / alliance?

DM: It’s pretty simple. We’re not as different as we all are made to believe. I think the societal labels that we all tend to use prevent us from connecting. I know from experience that if we actually sit down and talk to one another, we are going to have far far more in common than we think.

JM: What would another Academy Award nomination mean to you?

DM: Being nominated for this film would be an incredible honor. Not only in recognition of the message of the film, especially in light of so much conflict in the world, but in recognition of this incredible team by their industry peers. ElectroLeague is an indie animation studio working alongside the powerhouse that is Wētā FX and I know every member of this crew would love to see their hard work recognized. I want that for all of us.

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Jackson Murphy

Jackson Murphy is a movie critic and entertainment columnist. He is the creator of the website Lights-Camera-Jackson.com, and has made numerous appearances on television and radio.

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