Gopher Broke (2004)

Jeff Fowler shows us how important it is to keep simplicity in mind. This 3d animation reminds me of the old Warner Bros cartoon. The animation is well done and the gags come rapidly throughout the film's 4 min. running time. Gopher Broke is a very entertaining 'toon!
I enjoy this film’s visual style: everything has a dusty, worn down and weathered feeling. Even the vegetables have been handled in a way that makes them almost unnaturally colorful and appealing because they must have a hypnotic effect on the Gopher.


The entire story is built around one particular gopher’s scheme to rob the passing farm traffic of their vegetable harvests, hoping to get a free lunch. He finds himself on a road where trucks are hauling produce to market. He hits on the idea of shaking some of the produce loose for himself but other animals always beat him to the booty. Thus, the action continues to build as the Gopher’s frustration intensifies, leading to a climatic ending and surprise confrontation.
Gopher Broke was playing as part of the Sundance Film Festival 2006 and was also nominated for the 2004 animated short film Academy Award.

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