Paperman (6:34)
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Caution: potential spoilers.

This black & white short was released theatrically in 2012, with the feature film Wreck-It Ralph. I didn't get a chance to see it in theaters, so I finally saw both the short and the feature on DVD in 2014. It was also included on the "Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection."

I had read some very good things about the short probably some time before it was even released, so I've really been looking forward to it. (Like, I was super psyched to see it.) And now I'm glad to have finally seen it, but after all the hype, I'm mildly disappointed. It's actually beautifully animated, and it's a sweet and cute story, but it just didn't manage to touch me as much as I'd expected it to. Maybe that's because I simply don't believe in love at first sight. Or maybe it's because it kind of put me in mind of the Pixar short The Blue Umbrella, which I think I liked a bit more than this (even though this was about people instead of inanimate objects). Still, this is definitely a nice film, and I suspect I could enjoy it more upon repeat viewings than I did the first time. (Though I tend not to do a lot of repeat viewing of short films.)

Anyway... there isn't really any dialog, but one day on the way to work, a man and a woman sort of meet cute, and, you know... there's an obvious spark between them, in spite of not actually speaking to each other. (I did like the characters, in spite of knowing nothing about them, and also I thought the woman was really pretty. And... in spite of my disbelief in love at first sight, I didn't really have trouble believing they'd probably make a good couple if they actually did get to know each other. Because the film feels like it exists in a world of old fashioned romance, which is a relief from the often horrible world we actually live in.)

Later on, when the man gets to his job, he sees the woman through the window, sitting in a building across the street. So he starts folding paper airplanes and trying to throw them in her window to get her attention. And he keeps failing. Eventually he just gives up on that plan... and when she leaves the other building, he leaves his, to try and catch her in person, but again fails. (There is a kind of urgency about it, because it looks like she was applying for a job, and I have no idea whether she got it, but if not, I suppose this would conceivably be the guy's only chance to ever see her again. Whereas if she did get the job, he'd have a chance every day.)

After his repeated failures... some sort of magical stuff happens that only happens in stories like this (the nature of which I don't want to spoil), and I guess I like the latter part of the film more than the early part. Because it does kind of seem like destiny really wants them to be together. Which I guess is nice. And cute. And really, the whole film was nice and cute and stuff, but... eh. Maybe I'm just not in a romantic enough mood, or something. But I did like it. I just wish I could have loved it. (You know, actually, writing this review I think my appreciation for it is starting to grow beyond what I felt while watching it, so I really will try to watch it again sometime. Which won't be hard, since I own the DVD.)