“I was thrilled,” admits Patrick Osborne during our recent webcam chat (watch above) when asked about his Oscar nomination for the animated short film “Pearl.” Osborne, who won this category for Pixar’s “Feast” (2014), says, “You hope that you run with inspiration in a clear way, and you can get other people to help in a way, that turns into something good that people like. So I’m just glad that people get to watch it, and the fact that it’s acknowledged in that way you can never expect, and it’s unbelievable.”
“Pearl” follows a single father raising his daughter out of the back of his car while trying to start a music career. As the years go by, he settles down, but not before passing down his love of music – not to mention his beloved vehicle – to his daughter. The idea started as a way for the animator to experiment with 360 virtual reality video for Google Spotlight Stories, and he came up with a very personal narrative.
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“I got my first car from my parents,” he explains, not to mention, “a passion for art. I used to draw with my dad when he was a toy designer.” That led to, “this idea that you pass on your talent and your passions and tastes, as well as objects. So it became that.”
“Pearl” competes at the Oscars against “Blind Vaysha,” “Borrowed Time,” “Pear Cider and Cigarettes,” and “Piper.”
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