Borrowed Time (I) (2015) User Reviews

A step in the right direction

[MissSimonetta · 8/10 · 19 October 2016]

For years, mainstream American animation has been forced into kiddie territory. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with that: these films can be great too. But as they say, variety is the spice of life and to keep to one demographic alone is so limiting. So imagine how glad I was that Pixar is trying for more mature territory with this short film, Borrowed Time. A sheriff is brought to the site of the greatest tragedy of his life and contemplates suicide. What results is a beautiful piece about self-forgiveness and coming to terms with the past.

Pixar has stepped into adult territory before, but never with this much gusto. Let's hope this means in the coming decade, we will get less of the marketable sequels and more original, challenging projects from this most beloved of animation houses.

Gorgeous and heartbreaking piece of work. Superb!

[LopousIMDb · 7/10 · 19 October 2016]

I just saw this around the internet and was like "It's worth a try" and oh god... it is! This might the most majestic short movie I've seen so far. It went to questions to answers, to even more answers. It's also a bit heartbreaking, but in a good way. This movie is so good that it actually felt like a long decent movie.

I was really impressed they chose Gustavo Santaolalla's soundtracks in this because his soundtracks is pretty good and fitting for this.

If I had to describe this movie in few words then it would be "Shot through the heart", if you don't know what I mean by that, so do I mean it as This gave feels, so hardcore that my heart was hurting.

Very simple and mildly interesting.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 19 February 2017]

The story is very, very simple…too simple. An older man returns to the place of a tragedy back in the old west and he recalls exactly what happened. He then contemplates killing himself. He nearly does but the sight of an old pocket watch inexplicably saves him. That animation for this film by Andrew Coates and Lou Hamou-Lhadj is probably the best quality about this short film. I am not saying it's extraordinary…in fact it's nice but nothing more. In fact this is my overall feeling….this is not a bad film by any stretch but I am confused why it was nominated. The story needed to be fleshed out more and it all seemed too short and too routine to have been included on this list of best animated shorts.

Of all the nominees this year, it's a rather sub-par lot. Considering how much better "Piper" is than the competition, I would be extremely surprised if "Borrowed Time" took home the Oscar.

Great

[0U · 24 February 2020]

I thought this was the best of the Oscar nominated animated shorts from the 2017 ceremony. It used Western tropes brilliantly in this sad father and son tale. It tugs at the heartstrings and has gorgeous texture.

We Feel the Pain

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 2 April 2019]

A sheriff is on he brink of suicide. It is the old West and he recalls a horrible accident and his part in the sad ending. We see in flashback the events surrounding the accident and the intense guilt felt by the protagonist. This is sad and moving for such a short film. We are left on the edges of our seats as the decision is made.

Facing the Past

[Screen_O_Genic · 9/10 · 31 August 2020]

An aging sheriff haunted by his youth decides to take drastic measures. With every pace, every step forward memories of yore bring back the joys and pains. As he gets to the precipice a swift turn of events leads to terror and a revelation that changes his life forever. Well animated and moving as well as touching this nugget of a short packs enough mental and emotional wallop to cover a full-length film. A must see.

heartbreakingly powerful short film

[framptonhollis · 6/10 · 13 February 2017]

Without using any words, this brief and heartbreaking drama tells the story of a depressed sheriff ready to commit suicide, and proceeds to visually explain his reasoning. This is not at all your standard animated short or western in any sense of the word, it is easily among the saddest films to come out this year. It is a heartbreaking and emotionally draining near masterpiece of animation that, at only 7 minutes, is far more memorable than many films more than 10 times as long.

Not to mention, the animation is beautiful and visually stunning, although I must awkwardly admit that it was pretty messed up seeing such a demented and depressing film that looked like a family friendly Pixar movie.

Very breathtakingly sad

[cathyhoogeboom · 9/10 · 4 September 2020]

I watched this short film and it was super good but so hard to watch. I am a very emotional movie watcher and it was extremely depressing at times. Overall, I really liked it but because it was so sad I give it a 9 out of 10.

Not impressive on its own, but...

[SureCommaNot · 6/10 · 23 October 2016]

This short was alright. It didn't have nearly the complexity of other Pixar shorts, like Piper or Feast, that really engage the viewer and bring a lot of different emotions in a short amount of time. Perhaps this was on purpose, and went for more of a juxtaposition of pacing rather than of character development or emotional depth. And of course, the motif of using a pocket watch in this way is already vastly overused and cliché.

Nevertheless, this short could represent something for Pixar in the future, as they continually diversify their intended audience and expand the usage of computer animation. It pushes the ratings in a way that doesn't bask in edgier content for edginess' sake, and that's commendable because it means future efforts will have earned open arms, even if this effort itself is comparatively unimpressive. As another reviewer commented, it's "a step in the right direction."

Journey to the past

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 21 October 2022]

Absolutely love animation, with intended appreciation for all decades and styles, have done since pre school and always will do. People reading my reviews will probably have tired of me talking about having a lot of admiration for anything that revolves around mature and personal themes, which has been a major pattern for some time now, and having interesting characters worth relating to or easy to connect with, but the latter especially is very important to me.

Loved 'Borrowed Time's' concept and it really did sound like one of those animations that would emotionally connect with me on a personal level. Seeing it, it didn't disappoint in this regard. While not one of my favourite animations or one of the ones grown up with, 'Borrowed Time' is still an exceptionally done effort and a must for anybody who loves deep themes handled well, beautiful atmosphere and well written characters.

There is next to nothing to find fault with, but if there was a quibble it would be that the structure is quite slight.

However, everything else is wonderfully done. First and foremost, the visuals are absolutely exquisite. The beautifully textured details in the backgrounds particularly stand out, as do the beautifully varied and atmospheric colours. Also of exceptionally high quality is the music, which is full of atmosphere and beautifully used in a retrospective and poignant way.

'Borrowed Time' also succeeds in having an interesting lead character that is easy to root and feel for in a difficult and heart-wrenching situation. The writing is thought probing and honest, and absolutely loved how 'Borrowed Time' handled one of the deepest and most relatable themes/subjects seen in any animation seen recently with such touching sincerity and intelligence. Standing out in this regard is the edge of the seat and emotionally powerful conclusion.

Overall, wonderful. 9/10.

Okay little western animation

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 24 October 2016]

"Borrowed Time" is a 6.5-minute short film that was released last year and the writers and directors Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj, who worked in less commanding positions on a handful Pixar films in the past. Same can be said about the voice actors in this one. This animated short film takes place during two different eras: the now and the past. It is about an old cowboy who comes back to the place where he lost his father in a tragic accident. And he wants to do something that helps him cope with the past. I personally liked the emotional impact here and the music by two-time Oscar winner Santaolalla is pretty good as well. The one thing I did not like that much is the dramatic tragic "cliffhanger" scene because other than that the film delivers through convincing subtlety and I felt it was a big break in tone and atmosphere, even if it is kind of essential to understand the protagonist's background. As a whole, this was a good watch, even if the awards recognition it received may have been slightly too much. I give it a thumbs-up. Worth seeing. Oh yeah, no spoken dialogue in here, so you can watch it also if you don't understand English.

Forgive the past, if it was that simple.

[siddharthkrishnadwivedi · 9/10 · 18 October 2016]

The short movie takes you to beginning and end of one's life story forth and back. What would happen if you could have done otherwise, could you forgive yourself today? The intriguing start, ends with dejection leaving the main character in utter desolation. Pixar enters into an untouched arena with this, which could be termed as "dark". Borrowed Time tells a short tale about Relationship, past deed, power to undo, forgiveness, memories, it combines all of them and present it to you. Leaving the viewer to decide whether what happened was correct, incorrect or uncontrollable. It also reminds of the goodness some people leave behind. This one definitely is worth your time.

Beautiful and thought-provoking.

[RockoDaFoxxo · 24 October 2016]

During my free time of scrolling through tons of tedious shared Facebook posts, I saw several companies share out their thoughts about this short film. They said it was made by 2 Pixar animators and has some very adult themes in it. I'm a fan of short films, deep themes and Pixar, so I checked it out on Vimeo.

I was very glad I did.

The story is about a cowboy haunted by his past. Saying anything more would give the entire plot away.

The animation, as usual from Pixar, is flat-out gorgeous, and the music fits very well with the tone. But most impressive of all is its ambition. This is Pixar(ish) at its darkest, and the thoughts, feelings, images and delivery is gritty and portrays a realistic sense of gloom. The ending isn't happy, and nothing was really resolved, but was beautifully presented and emotionally wrenching, and will leave you thinking deeply. This is a beautiful story of grief, the past, our will to live, and forgiveness.

Well worth watching!

9/10

The best animated short I've ever seen

[Avwillfan89 · 10/10 · 23 October 2016]

Holy crap! At less than six minutes long, this short picture managed to make me cry more than any other Pixar film out there.

I've never seen such intense realism in an animated film. The themes are extremely adult, featuring some graphic violence, leaving a very big emotional impact.

You would never believe Pixar would go so dark and bleak as it does here, but there have been hints of it in several of their feature films. The first fifteen minutes of Up, the toys accepting their death in Toy Story 3 and the death of Nemo's mother and siblings in Finding Nemo.

See the film for yourself online. I can definitely say it deserves an Oscar.

A Very Underrated Short Film

[walt-54085 · 9/10 · 21 February 2024]

Despite being a Pixar fan, I had not even heard of this short until today. I'm not even sure where to begin because there is so much to write about despite the five minute runtime. The story is shockingly dark for Pixar. While the studios mainstream films are emotional and mature, they usually keep from being extremely dark because they are still family movies. Here, they went all out, producing something heart wrenching and very raw. This story creates such intense emotions in only a few minutes, a level of connection that some full length movies never achieve with the viewer. Don't just take my word, find the film somewhere online like YouTube.

Excellent Animated Short

[Michael_Elliott · 26 February 2017]

Borrowed Time (2015)

**** (out of 4)

A worn-down Sheriff returns to the scene of an event that helped shape who he became as a man.

That's pretty much the only plot you need to know about this wonderful animated movie, which picked up an Oscar-nomination for Best Animation Short. If you're a fan of Westerns or of animation then you'll certainly want to check out this seven-minute picture because it's certainly something special. The animation is excellent as you'd expect but where the film really succeeds is with its story. I'm not going to ruin what happens but it's an excellent drama and really packs an emotional punch. It's rare that I feel this connected to an animation piece but it certainly ranks right up there with the best of Pixar or Disney.

a story from past

[Kirpianuscus · 4 March 2017]

one of the most touching animations from the last years. because its desire is not to impress or seduce or change perspectives. but only be a mirror. about the relation of every viewer with the delicate moments/choices/decisions of the past. sure, it is easy to admire the graphic and the details, the realism or the atmosphere. but entire film is reduced at one scene. like a bridge between a tragic gesture and a sad present. it is a dark film but not it is the most important trait. it is an useful film. who, like Blind Vaysha, propose a profound reflection, in the skin of parable and not a show. and its importance could be the beginning of a trend. one who change the common expectations from animation.