The Ruffled Crow

A combination of stop-motion and cel animation, this short was nominated for an Academy Award in 1998.

More tells the story of an inventor who lives in a drab, colorless world. Day by day, he toils away in a harsh, dull, and dehumanizing job, his only savior being the memories of the bliss of childhood. But at night, he works secretly on an invention that could help him relive those memories and spread their joy to everyone in his despair-filled life.

When he finishes the invention, it changes the way people look at the world, but not the world itself. His success changes him, however, because he loses an important part of himself. via

Written and directed by Mark Osborne.