'The Present' is a short 4 minute animation created by Jacob Frey.
The film is about a young boy who seems to prefer his computer games to anything else. Nothing can seem to drag him away.
Until his mother leaves him a gift - an adorable puppy. The boy thinks the puppy is cool until he realises that the puppy has a leg missing. He is such a cruel little boy.
Gradually, the puppy's determination wins him round and they go out to play... at this point we see why the boy may have been adverse to having a puppy with three legs. Watch it to find out.
Teaching Ideas
- Write a diary/recount as the boy. Detailing how he felt about the dog at first and how he feels now.
- Rewrite the film as a 3rd person narrative, working on narrative writing skills such as description and adding dialogue.
- Discuss why the boy feels the way he does about the dog.
- Discuss why his mother may have bought that particular dog for him.
- Write a section of dialogue between Mum and the pet shop owner, perhaps she tells him why she wants that specific dog.
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