Underplayed Gems

War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko (2023)

War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko poster
Original title
WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
Directed by
Dave Mullins
Genre
drama film
Country
United States
Runtime
11 min
Rating
6.3 of 10 from 43 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Set during World War I, two soldiers on opposite sides play a game of chess through a series of letters. The short film shows how even in war, a simple connection can remind people of their shared humanity.

peacefulpoignantbittersweethopefulgentlenostalgicshort

What happens

War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko is a 2023 independent animated short film written and directed by Dave Mullins. The 11-minute short was inspired by and features John Lennon and Yoko Ono's anti-war anthem "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". The film was also based on a story by Mullins and Sean Ono Lennon. The film was produced by Brad Booker and production was handled by Booker and Mullins' Los Angeles-based animation studio ElectroLeague, in partnership with Lenono Music, Sean Ono Lennon and Yoko Ono and Lightstorm Entertainment with Jon Landau being an credited as an executive producer. Thomas Newman composed the score for the film. War Is Over! won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 96th Academy Awards. The film was later released on YouTube on December 1, 2025, by John Lennon's official channel. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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