Exclusive Trailer: Locksmith Animation’s First Short Film ‘Cardboard’

Cardboard is the story of an overhwhelmed, single dad pig who moves his piglets into a rundown trailer park, fearing he’s failed his family.

The trailer debuts exclusively on Cartoon Brew this morning and can be viewed below:

The nine-minute-and-change short film premieres in competition next week at the Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival, in the young audiences category. It’s the first short film by British animation company Locksmith Animation, which has previously produced features such as 20th Century Studio’s Ron’s Gone Wrong and Netflix Animation’s That Christmas. The company is currently working on Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s Bad Fairies.

Cardboard is directed by J.P. Vine, who was also a director on Locksmith’s first feature, Ron’s Gone Wrong. Other studio credits include Aardman Animations (director, Shaun the Sheep; story lead, Pirates! Band of Misfits) and Pixar (storyboard artist, Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur). Michaela Manas Malina produced the short for Locksmith, and the film was made in association with DNEG Animation & Ritzy Animation.

The gently comedic short, based on Vine’s own experiences of housing insecurity, illustrates in charming fashion the transformative power of imagination and its capacity to make us see the world differently. Here is the full synopsis of Cardboard:

When an overwhelmed, single dad pig moves his piglets into a rundown trailer park, he fears he’s failed his family. But soon his kids create a wildly imaginative game from a simple cardboard box, and Dad has a choice: dwell on the past or join them on their intergalactic adventure.

Additional stills and the film’s poster can be seen below: