This boy seems not unlike other boys — he plays video games, he gets annoyed when his mom gets in his way, and he’s fascinated by a gift she gives him in a large cardboard box — but as we find out at the end of this video short, there’s more to him than we initially believe. In the short film, the boy opens up a box from his mother to find a small, excited puppy inside. The boy’s joy, however, quickly turns to disgust when he realizes the dog only has three legs.

This is a very moving story, with so much feelings fitted perfectly in such a short film.
The film, called “The Present,” was created by Jacob Frey and Markus Kranzler in 2014 as a graduation project while they were students at Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg in Ludwigsburg, Germany. It went on to win dozens of international awards — 59, as they count — in Canada, the U.S., Italy, Portugal, South Korea, and more.
A more detailed list of all the festival awards:
01. Int. Festival of Animation Cinema and Comics Cartoon Club – Cartoon Kids Award
02. Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival – Grand Prize Best Animation
03. FESA – Best Film for Children
04. Animago Award – Nominated for Best Short Film
05. Int. Student Film Festival Pisek – Special Jury Award
06. Animalada – Best Short Animated Film 2014, Jury Award
07. Anim Arte – Maxi Second place: Audience Award
08. 15 Short Film Festival – Jury Award Best Animation
09. PISAF – Audiences Prize (International)
10. International Family Film Festival – Best Foreign Short Animation
11. Enfoque, Int. Film Festival of Puerto Rico – Best Animation and Audience Choice Award
12. Filmschau Baden Wuerttemberg – Best Animation
13. El Corto del Ano – Special Jury Mention
14. Watersprite 2015 – Best Original Film Music
15. California International Shorts Festival – Best Animated Short
16. Short Tiger, Next Generation – Short Tiger Award
17. Landshuter Kurzfilmfestival – Audience Award Kids
18. Soul 4 Reel Festival – Best Animation
19. Canada International Film Festival – Best Animation
20. CMS Int. Children´s Film Festival – Special Mention
21. Monstronale – Int. Children Jury Award
22. Sehsuechte Int. Student Festival Konrad Wolf – Best Children Film
23. RiverRun International Film Festival – Best Student Animated Short
24. VAFI – MIDI Section First Prize
25. Newport Beach Film Festival – Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking
26. Timeline Film Festival – Filmmaker Award
27. Animayo Festival de Cine de Animacion – Director Award
28. Chile Monos Festival Internationcional de Animacion – Second Place Int. School Short Film Competition
29. Carmarthen Bay Film Festival – Best Animation
30. Int. Film Festival for Children & Youth – THE HERMÍNA TÝRLOVÁ AWARD FOR YOUNG ARTIST AGED UNDER 35
31. Rendezvous Festival – Best Animation
32. Accolade Global Film Competition – Award of Excellence Special Mention: Animation (Student)
33. Long Day Short Film – Grand Jury Prize
34. Animatio Curtas Vila do Conde IFF – Curtinhas Prize
35. Anima Mundi – Best short film for Children
36. Maramures International Film Festival 2015 – Audience Award
37. Real to Reel International Film festival – Best Student Animation
38. Giffoni Film Festival – Second Most Voted Film
39. Traverse City Film Festival – Audience Award for Best Kids Short
40. Ariano Film Festival – Best Animation
41. Int. Film Festival Nueva Mirada for Children and Youth – Golden Kite” Award
42. Joy House Film Festival – Media Super’s Best Film
43. ArTelesia Film Festival – School and University Award
44. Summer Slam Film Festival – Best Animation Short
45. Catalina Film Festival – Best Animation Film
46. Sapporo Shorts Fest – Best Student Children Film Silver
47. Sapporo Shorts Fest – Best Student Director Award
48. AKUT – 2. Audience Award
49. NYLA International Film Festival – Best Animation
50. Austin Film Festival – Animated Short Audience Award
51. Seoul Guro Int. Kids Film Festival – Best Animated Short Film
52. Filemon – Best Short Film
53. Virginia Film Festival – Audience Award for Narrative Short
54. Ojai Film Festival – Honorable Mention
55. Gold Coast International Film festival – Jury Award for Best Student Short Film
56. Short Film Awards – Best Animated Short
57. Roshd Int. Film Festival – Third Prize
58. Olympia International Film Festival – Children´s Jury Award for Best animated short
59. Los Angeles Independent Film Festival – Best Animation
And it didn’t just land the filmmakers a ton of awards. Today, Frey works at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Kranzler at Pixar Animation Studios in the Bay Area.
You can enjoy the short film below and see just why the video scored so many accolades.