KickStart This: The Cat And The Bird

Oscar-qualifying filmmaker David Shen Miller has launched a crowdfunding campaign for his latest animated short film The Cat and The Bird, a visually ambitious film made out of 5,000 hand-painted frames.

Now live on KickStarter, the film tells the story of a lonely cat who forms a relationship with an anxious bird, and is brought to life through a meticulous process. The film is made frame by frame in a technique that combines original painting with digital animation techniques and cinematic storytelling. At a time when loneliness is reportedly at an all-time high, the film seeks to express feelings of loneliness, isolation and the need for connection.

The campaign is off to an impressive start, currently sitting at 85% of its initial $18,000 goal, with 7 days to go.

In parallel with the film's development, Miller has been extensively documenting its production on social media. Offering audiences a close look at the production, it offered a behind-the-scenes preview of the painstaking work that goes into each frame. It spans from storyboarding to digital animation, to printouts and hand-painted embellishments. Several of these videos have gone viral, reaching millions of views and attracting attention to the project.

Miller's previous short The Cocoon, attracted considerable industry attention, entering the Oscar conversation and attracting coverage from The Hollywood Reporter. It positioned him as an upcoming voice in independent animation.

The Cat and The Bird is produced by Andrew Seth Cohen and Ryan Kieffer of Confidential Creative, whose past work includes collaborations with major names like Maroon 5 and Carrie Underwood.

The project brings together a collective of artists from around the world, including lead animator Pepe Gomez, background artist Joao Faria, storyboard artist Jisun Huang, animators Jaki Haboon and Pablo Smerling, fill-in artist Paolo Russo, concept artist Connor McNally, and acrylic painters Kelsey Skordal and Lauren Lozita. They all play their part in an analogue-first endeavour, that is in stark contrast to the digital and A.I. approaches employed by much animation today.

By combining digital animation, fine art techniques and narrative filmmaking, The Cat and The Bird aims to deliver a deeply personal and visually distinctive short that celebrates both art and storytelling.

Rewards include digital screeners plus the opportunity to own a frame from the film (painted or unpainted, depending on the tier) as well as producer credits, access to work-in-progress screeners, and festival screenings. Rewards range from $5.00 to $5,000 (for a full producer credit).

If you want to help The Cat and The Bird see the light of day, visit the campaign page now.