User Reviews

That is honestly the only word I can use to describe my feelings when watching the film. It was fine. I was excited after Netflix hit it out of the park with If Anything Happens I Love You (2020) but this was just so fine. It didn't stand out against other shorts for me.

I really wanted it to tear my heart out and stamp on it but I watched it pretty stone faced. It looked fine and you could follow the story so it had that going for it.

I think the score let it down. It was the worst part for me. It didn't really sell any of the emotions and that is a very important part of a movie with no dialogue. It seemed indifferent to what was happening on the screen and seemed to just be doing its own thing.

So you could watch it and support people making shorts but I was really hoping for more.

Touching storyline set in a slight depressing color tone with bright magical sound scores - odd combination but the animation styles (drawing, details and characters design) were 1st class. As if it made by Pixar or Disney. Great sound effects/sound engineering/composers. The storyline was sad but unfortunately something that we couldve came across a lot of time - common storyline ( like disney's UP). Despite having a runtime less than 9 minutes, it was nothing but just a short period of emotional piece of art. Really a relatable plot. Too short for me but highly recommended. You might need some tissues.

Watched this after seeing a recommendation on Twitter. Haven't seen any advertisements for it. The movie has no dialogue but the it doesn't need words. Everything is acted out and it's a beautiful, tender bittersweet storyline. The artwork is gorgeous, realistic, even down to the freckles on Granddad's cheek. 9 minutes of pure delight. I really hope more people view it.

The first temptating word to define it can be beautiful. Or touching, moving, special. But, in essence, it is a well crafted short animation reminding you to yourself. A grandfather and his granddaughter discovering a portrait in the basement. And new beginning of the life of the man losing his loved wife. All simple and precise. And touching. Short, a way to remind to yourself the significants pieces of life. Sue, the music has good role in this.

Canvas is an animation that fails to deepen in 9 minutes. I mean, I am not saying that the film is awful but it has some deficiencies.

This animated short really found ways to be effective with foreshadowings and flashbacks. I found the flashbacks to be really effective and they added so much to the present with its non-dialogue storytelling. In conclusion, this was a really good animated short that was heartfelt while being sad. There are some comparisons here to Up (2009, Pixar), and they both managed to be heartfelt. The cg animation worked, and the hand-drawn animation in the flashbacks to portray fadedness. I also found the shots to fit the title of the short, where they look like paintings. It's a short about finding your imagination after recovering from trauma.

Of course this is really emotional and has an strong flow but unfortunately usual. Any new message or highly creative touches here. Thanks but sorry :/

Give some support to these short films. This one is a beautiful piece to watch, not much just would take 9 minutes.

9 minutes and it made me shed as many tears. It was hauntingly beautiful. I particularly loved the attention to detail in regards to the hair texture.

Canvas has no dialogues; it simply doesn't need any. Like love, hope, family, memories, heartbreak, loneliness & inspiration - need no words, they are to be felt, and so does Canvas by Frank Abney. A celebration of human emotions. A heartwarming short film on Netflix.

The visuals are beautiful. Maybe it's just me, but I didn't feel anything watching this. In fact I got kind of bored, which is not good because it's under 9 minutes. I felt somehow disconnected with the story. I didn't feel the emotion or loss. I think one of the reasons for that is the music score they chose. A score can make or break a short film, so I think it's the latter for this short. But I do hope Netflix continues making and distributing shorts.

This short film was not advertised as it should have been. The beauty is in the words not spoken. The plot was easy to follow. The graphics were beautifully done. This was a beautiful Black short film. It should be acclaimed as such.

How this has the rating it does, is beyond me.

In nine minutes, not a single word is spoken, and yet a myriad of emotions are conveyed. I'll be recommending it to all my adult friends-especially if they only have one living parent, in their lives.

Grief is often one of the hardest things to get over, especially when it relates to the loss of a loved one. In the case of the indie short film Canvas by Pixar animator Frank Abney III, it centers around a grandfather who is trying his best to regain his motivation and influence around his granddaughter after a terrible loss in his life. After a successful Kickstarter backup to finance the project two years ago, the short was finally released on Netflix this month to rave responses from critics and audiences alike, and for good reason too.

As the film centers around an unnamed grandpa who spends time with his creative granddaughter, the film's biggest strength lies in its visual storytelling. Within the first minute, not only can we understand the pain the old man still has over the tragic disappearance of his family member, but we can also sense it through the time he spends with his family. Considering that Abney based said characters off of his own family, especially his grandfather and niece, it makes the film all the more personal around the theme of trying to keep the human spirit alive and healthy to do what you love. More often than not, we find our creative strength in the most unexpected places, because true imagination doesn't come out of force, it has to flow overtime. In the words of Abney himself to the Root journal, "As an artist and just as a person, in general, we deal with losses, and that affects us in different ways...it was just the idea of how kids can bring joy without really trying." They say the youth is the gateway to new horizons, and I strongly believe that for a better future.

Given Abney's background at Pixar, one can tell his experience at the studio really helped sell the short with no dialogue necessary. Every facial expression and gesture conveys how much pain is within the grandfather, and also how much joy his granddaughter brings to the man. Although one could argue the short could have been done in live-action, the fact that the film is animated gives it that extra spice of emotional resonance, and it also elevates the film's figurative and literal artistic strokes quite high. Some moments in the film are done in a 2D painterly style to evoke the idea of grandpa's inner artistic talent, and rightfully shown for subtle clarity given the aforementioned idea to allow your inner spark to come when least expected. In addition, Jermaine Stegall's score is effectively somber yet emotionally gripping without tugging at the heart strings too much. It also helps when the film is completely quiet to let the character's outer thoughts speak for themselves, as the best films do. Sometimes music isn't always needed to drive a film forward, but then you get those little spices to add to the experience.

All in all, Canvas is not only a well crafted short film in its own right, but it's a powerful reminder to keep fighting for what you love, no matter how long it might take. It may only be about nine minutes in length, but it has the time covered perfectly, especially given its strong subject matter and heart warming characters. If you are yet to check it out, by all means give it a watch as soon as you can. It's not everyday when a film tells us that it takes time to let your creative spark come back to you overtime, so it helps when an artist like Frank Abney III can do so through the art of animation and filmmaking.

I RARELY give a film a ten. This film was short, to the point, beautiful, heartwarming, & family friendly. To make a film with NO words touch people's soul, is a rare talent.

"Canvas" is a short CGI film with no dialog, so it's a great watch no matter your language. And, it's really extremely well made.

The story concerns an elderly man who is struggling with things most of us will one day struggle with...a loss of independence (as he's now in a wheelchair) and a loss of his life partner. And, like many, he is grieving these losses and feeling not only grief but anger and depression

The production is first-rate. The best part is the music...very evocative and extremely well-suited to the film. The animations are also excellent...with both traditional 3D CGI animation and a short 2D sequence as well. Overall, well worth seeing...but a film to see with a box of tissues nearby just in case.

Just a beautiful piece of art. The style of it is absolutely beautiful, I love that the "dream world" is basically ON the canvas. It is not necessary to have dialogue since it shows very well that trauma can paralyze you (figuratively, or maybe even literally?). Just a poetic, tiny heart-warming short!

Superb Sonic Boombastic Performances By Actor Masterpiece By Alex ~❤

This is a really touching short animation movie, about a grandpa who loses his wife and -consequently- loses his inspiration to draw. But, when his granddaughter, who obviously loves drawing, starts visiting him, more and more often, it's like she manages to fire up his love and inspiration for drawing. The hand-drawn animation is fantastic and realistic, and the ultimate message is hopeful: no matter what happens, continue doing what you love. There's no dialogue in this film, mainly because it's unnecessary, as I see it, and it's truly unneeded, because every emotion is conveyed without talk in other ways. I recommend it to everyone who wants to watch something simultaneously touching and uplifting, and to everybody who has recently experienced a loss or another traumatic event which makes him want to give up what he/she/it loves, but he/she/it doesn't want to do so.

This animation has purpose and meaning. The overview of this movie is about a man who lost his wife due to an illness or old age. It's super saddening to lose something you care about or lost something. There's not much to say about this animation, although I share few things regarding my experience with depression. Depression is apathy you lose interest, lost something, or something turned you away from what you care about what's keeping you away is the symptoms of depression. People world wide suffer from depression if you do the research just look for the articles which are medically reviewed by experts. A few things I'd share if I were to treat my depression is take a break or give yourself a vacation, yet don't delay your vacation so you can make art again, another one is meet a psychiatrist and take your medications as prescribed, another is get a therapist and do you research try BetterHelp which is an online website to find a therapist to your liking and interact with them via text or phone call, another one is make simple healthy habits daily it could be opening up the window to let in fresh air, walk outdoors for your mental health what matters is your well being, another one is bake or cook something you enjoy, try a new hobby or do something simple as watering plants. Do something that's good for the mind, body, soul, and spirit take care of yourself without self care you aren't taking care of yourself, and please give yourself a rest because you deserve it. I think this animation is telling us is to create art with mindfulness and meaning. As someone with depression I rewatched this animation because I've lost interest in art due to inaction. I have trouble getting myself back to painting. Because my dream is to have my own art business. However, for now I am focusing on my mental health, well being, and improving myself. This animation taught me to be mindful and create something with meaning unless you're creating art with the opposite of something meaningful which is nothingness, and unmeaningful that is considered art. Anything can be meaningful as long you put you express yourself via art because that's the purpose of making art. Artists need self expression in order to make art and to sell art you need to have purpose or intention for making art that sells its not always about selling, yet the process of creating art that's meaningful or unmeaningful. This applies to any career it doesn't have to be about artists it can apply to musicians, writers, photographers, etc. Overall, I think this animation at least deserves a good rating it's only an animation not a film or series.