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The Dandelion

The Dandelion is an animated short film about the human condition, as experienced by a dandelion, who is threatened by the very forces that gave it life.

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“The Dandelion” was exclusively digitally hand-painted and includes over 1,000 hand-painted elements.

  • Caitlin-Marie Miner Ong
    Director
    The Rider
  • Garrett Charles Miner
    Writer
  • Olivia Lee Hake
    Key Cast
    "Narrator"
  • Claire Hake
    Key Cast
    "The Seed"
  • Andy Ong
    Composer
    The Rider
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Genres:
    Children, Family, Animation, 2D animation, hand-drawn, traditional animation, animated short
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Providence Children's Film Festival
    Providence
    United States
    February 14, 2026
Director Biography - Caitlin-Marie Miner Ong


Caitlin-Marie Miner Ong is an Art Director and Illustrator based in Philadelphia with a BFA in Art Direction and a minor in Art History from Pratt Institute. A creative on 10 Folio Award-nominated campaigns, her award-winning illustrations can be found in Real Simple, Martha Stewart, Parents, Travel & Leisure, Shape, and QVC.

Her first animated short, “The Rider,” won Best Animated Short from both the Atlanta’s Women’s Film Festival and Toronto Beaches Film Festival. “The Dandelion” is her second film.

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Director Statement

Created over the span of two arduous years, including the birth of my firstborn and subsequent loss of my father and father-in-law, “The Dandelion” explores themes in grief, fear, and ultimately, love.

“The Dandelion” is a digitally hand-painted and animated short that was created with contributions from my entire family; written by my brother, Garrett C. Miner, scored by my husband, Andy Ong, and voiced by my nieces, Olivia and Claire Hake.

We spilled our hearts into this project between newborn diaper changes, full-time careers, moving states, and many tears. Somehow, in the space between our overwhelming joy and earth-shattering sadness, a flower grew.