Private Project

The Day I Became a Bird

A boy falls in love for the first time and chooses to spread his wings no matter what the cost. A heartwarming story by Oscar-winning director Andrew Ruhemann based on the celebrated book of the same name by Ingrid Chabbert and Guridi.

  • Andrew Ruhemann
    Director
    The Lost Thing, Who Framed Roger Rabbit
  • David Park
    Producer
    Ratatouille, Coco, Wall-E, Toy Story 3, Ron's Gone Wrong
  • Leah Revivo
    Producer
    Ron's Gone Wrong
  • Ashley Boddy
    Story
    Ron's Gone Wrong, Shaun the Sheep the Movie, The Pirates
  • Karen Dufilho
    Executive Producers
    Pearl, For the Birds, Gerri's Game
  • Alan Barillaro
    Executive Producers
    Piper, Wall-E, Incredibles, Brave, Finding Nemo
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Genres:
    Family, Friendship, Childrens, Heartwarming, Comedy, Whimsical, Technology, Unreal Engine
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 19, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Andrew Ruhemann

Andrew began his career working as a Producer for the legendary Richard Williams. His first feature film experience was as Development Producer, working with Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis on the ground-breaking film, ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’. He then went on to set up Passion Pictures in 1987.

His desire to direct and tell stories with heart and soul was realised in 2010, Andrew made his directorial debut with an animated short film called THE LOST THING, co-directed with Shaun Tan. It won an Annecy Cristal and an Oscar, for Best Short Animation.

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Director Statement

This is a film about hope and determination, truth and love and the freedom it can deliver.  A story that speaks to the courageous and hopeful in us all, no matter what age. It celebrates self-expression, self-discovery and the importance of connecting with others from this place of truth, no matter the cost. In 2019 I went to the Bologna book fair looking for inspiration. On a small publishing stand amidst the madness of over 1000 book stalls, I saw an image on the front cover of this children’s book, that completely captivated me. The title was equally engaging, “THE DAY I BECAME A BIRD’’. As I read it, I entered an enchanted world, and found I could see the pictures coming alive with my filmmaker’s perspective. I could see how the film medium could really work with the fantastic elements of this transformational story playing with the themes of hope, truth and Love. I feel that my ten year-old son and I are often bombarded with fast-cutting, sharp almost aggressive imagery in a lot of the media that we consume separately and together. My aim for this film was to create the antithesis, something charming, humorous, soulful and lyrical.