HARRISON, NY
February 9, 1999:
Bunny, a seven-minute short film from
Blue Sky Studios written and directed by Chris Wedge, received an Oscar
Nomination in the category of "Best Animated Short Film." The
nominations were announced this morning by the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences. Winners will be announced during the Academy Awards
ceremony on Sunday, March 21st. at 8:30 (EST).
The film was chosen from a qualifying field of over 50 films. "This is something, that as a filmmaker, you dream of," said Wedge. "We are humbled and thankful to the Academy members for choosing "Bunny" as a nominee. And we are proud to be among some of the best work in the world."
The sometimes dark, film-noirish "Bunny" sets a new standard of mood and cinematic storytelling in computer animation, and is the first film to use radiosity, a computer rendering technique that mimics the most subtle properties of natural light. The short began as an effort to stretch the limits of Blue Sky Studios' proprietary lighting software, but has such a warm, filmic style that it belies the computer technology that made it possible. Through the use of radiosity, Wedge and his crew were able to create an unparalleled dimensionality and organic realism never before attempted in a computer-animated film.
"The key to Bunny," said Wedge, "is that it is a film experience and a story first. We just happened to go insane with the technology, but it is designed to hide that fact. We don't want people to think too hard about what went into creating it. We just want them to sit back and enjoy it."