Moonbird

Moonbird is a 1959 short animated film by John Hubley and Faith Hubley in which two boys have an adventure in the middle of the night as they sneak out and try to catch a 'Moonbird' and bring it home. The film was animated by Robert Cannon and Ed Smith. It won an Oscar for Best Short Subjects (Cartoons) at the 32nd Academy Awards, in 1960.[1]

For the long-lived bird, see B95 (bird).
Moonbird
Directed byJohn Hubley
Produced by
Starring
  • Mark Hubley (voice)
  • Ray "Hampy" Hubley (voice)
Release date
  • 1959 (1959)
Running time
10 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Production

Moonbird featured the voices of the Hubley's sons, Mark and Ray ("Hampy"). For the Moonbird, the Hubleys secretly recorded the boys sharing an imaginary adventure before going to sleep in the darkness of their room. Their parents afterwards took the tapes and created an animated film to fit their sons' story.[2]

Accolades

It became the very first independent short to win the Oscar.[3][4]

Synopsis

The cartoon shows the little boys climbing out their bedroom window and going on a quest for the Moonbird, trying to trap the Moonbird, and otherwise obsessed with the Moonbird which we see following them about from place to place, leaping in and out of their trap, and in general keeping an eye on them.[5]

Availability

The film has lapsed into the public domain.[6]

The Academy Film Archive preserved Moonbird in 2003.[7]

References
  1. The 32nd Academy Awards 1960.
  2. 1960 Moonbird: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive
  3. Short Subject Winners Jacques-Yves Cousteau and John Hubley: 1960 Oscars
  4. When Indie Animation Won Its First Oscar|Animation Obsessive
  5. Weird Realms Reviews: Animation from the Hubleys.
  6. Internet Archive
  7. "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
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