Oscar and Emmy winner Andrew Ruhemann (of The Lost Thing and Love, Death + Robots) has adapted the book The Day I Became a Bird — about a boy’s first love — into a sweet and tender new animated short. We take flight for this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This was conducted as an Email Interview and was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: What do you love about the book you based this on?

Andrew Ruhemann: I love the quirkiness of it. The charm and simplicities of the designs. First and foremost I love the title. I am a big fan of all things to do with birds in the first place and I also like stories about transformation. So the title drew me in right away. Add to that the beautiful designs and I was completely sold from the front cover.

Awards season is in full swing, with the Best Animated Short Film Oscars shortlist announcement coming in December, as well as the official Academy and Annie Awards nominations in January. One short hoping to make an impact this year is Rosemary A.D. (After Dad), from director Ethan Barrett. He narrates an exploration into his thoughts — about what his young daughter’s future might be like if he committed suicide. Barrett animated the short using crayons, and he shares insights on that process and the complexities of the story in this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This interview was conducted as an Email Q&A and was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: How did you want to balance the humor and the legitimate drama?

Ethan Barrett: I like to say it’s not a coincidence that many of the world’s greatest comedians struggle with mental health: they’ve learned to see humor in everything. No one will voluntarily watch a film about “some guy’s problems.” So I thought if people laughed for a few minutes first, it would ease them into the heavier subject matter. Depression and suicide are weighty and universal, so I took every opportunity to add in some levity. It came quite naturally and in fact, by the final edit I had taken out at least half of the original jokes.