Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The death of a loved one is an emotional experience, and a local teaser trailer for a short film beautifully demonstrates that.
The trailer depicts the death of a dog from the perspective of the dog's tennis ball. The tennis ball recalls the good times it shared with the dog on the last day of the dog's life, according to Kickstarter.* In the end, the tennis ball is happy to be buried in the backyard with the dog.
Kyle Logan, the film's creator, said he was around 6 or 7 years old when his own golden retriever died. Logan's dad has often told him the story of when they buried the dog in their backyard — Logan asked if he could go with her.
"...I thought it'd be really cool to put myself as a kid in a different perspective, and so that's when I chose a tennis ball and thought of this relationship between a tennis ball and a dog and the kind of connection they would build together over a lifetime," Logan said.
"...A lot of people see the story as a sad one, and it is sad, but it has a real deep meaning that deals with closure and how we deal with losing a loved one," Logan said. "And for the ball, being buried in the grave with his best friend is in a sense a happy ending, because it's where he feels most at peace and it's where he wants to be in the end."
The trailer, which was illustrated by Juhmelly Carlson, is meant to give viewers a sample of the potential of the short film Logan plans to create. The film will use traditional animation derived from images drawn frame by frame.
Viewers will see pieces of the trailer in the short film, but Logan said the six-minute film will have a life of its own. While it will have the same emotional affect, the story will be a little more drawn out.
Films that have used traditional animation, such as "The Land Before Time" and "All Dogs Go To Heaven," have influenced Logan, and he thinks his short film, "Chase The Ball," could be a good example of what traditional animation was and where it's going.
The purpose of the Kickstarter campaign for "Chase The Ball" is to raise money for Logan's six-minute film. As of Monday afternoon, he had raised almost $3,000.
Logan plans to complete his short film at TML Studios in Salt Lake.
"My main mission when telling a story and creating something is to bring out emotion, and for this one ... I feel like it's a really deep emotion that a lot of people can relate to ... even if you've never owned a dog, I think it relates to everything that deals with losing a loved one, whether it's a person or a pet or anything," Logan said.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
