For the Birds



For the Birds is a short film released in 2000. It was written and directed by Ralph Eggleston - his first time in the directing chair. The short was shown theatrically before Monsters, Inc..

Plot
Fifteen blue birds land one-by-one on a power line, and soon they encounter a huge and goofy-looking bird. They mimic and tease him, but he goes on the cord anyway. The little birds start pecking on him. They successfully get him off, but when the big bird falls off, the birds are flung away into the sky. When they come back down, we see that they have all lost their feathers, making them the goofy-looking ones now. The short ends with the big bird laughing hysterically as the other birds hide behind him.

The first four small birds to land on the power line are named Bully, Chipper, Snob and Neurotic.

Trivia

 * There is a boat in Finding Nemo called "For the Birds."
 * The background music in this short, titled "Big High Wire Hop", is performed by Riders in the Sky. It is included in the band's 2002 album, Monsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites.


 * The small birds on the power line make a cameo appearance in the movie Cars.
 * The background is actually just painted.
 * This short originally started off as an idea for a student film by Ralph Eggleston but was never made because it would have taken forever to draw all of the birds.