Hair Love

Hair Love has all the components of a real tearjerking short film, but I really feel like it was just trying too hard for emotion at times. There's so many plot twists that when the short film ends, it still feels like it is still getting started. On the animation side of things, I loved the character design, it reminded me a lot of The Prince of Egypt.

Matthew Cherry's book, "Hair Love" is a very sweet story. So sweet that a Kickstarter campaign was organized to turn the children's book into a short film. Amazingly, they were able to get the services of Sony Pictures....hence the gorgeous animation in the short. How they managed to get such a big, quality production company to make the film, I have no idea...but it's the sort of thing I'd like to see more of in the future.

The story is simple. A black girl has dreams of all sorts of wonderful hair styles for herself...but her hair is a huge and unruly mess. Her father has no idea how to style the hair...and fails miserably. However, he eventually learns from a blog how to make his daughter beautiful. Then, you learn more about the man, the girl and their family...

I loved the story for three main reasons. As I mentioned above, the animation is terrific. The second reason is that the story is so sweet...and it is bound to capture your heart. And finally, there just aren't that many animated films about non-traditional girls...and many people of color have felt left out because of this. A nice film with some nice role models about some formerly marginalized people....and done in a way that isn't heavyhanded in any way. Well worth your time...and available for free on YouTube.

I loved this! Such great representation and a great story that, as a friend put it, "It made me feel all the things." I hope there are more films like this in the future.

Watching this short animated movie as a man with long curly hair it brought back memories. It took me years to fully appreciate my natural hair and honestly and that cap or bonnet would've been with me at all times. I enjoyed it, it tries to add too many twists and turns and when you're still adapting the movie is already over. The little girl is very cute and passionated about her hair but most importantly her dear mommy. Sony showing they too can do emotional short videos.

Everything about this project the animation the subject is just a complete work of love that all children of color should see read and pass on to their own children.