'The Whistle' Animated Historical Drama Short Sets Oscar-Qualifying Release - Animation Magazine

Summer is almost at an end, which means Awards Season will soon be here — which means that an array of animated shorts will make their bids for Academy consideration with big screen engagements. Announced today, The Whistle will be screening at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Santa Monica, Calif. daily at 4 p.m. from September 11-17.

Set in Nazi Germany, The Whistle debuted at the 2025 HollyShorts festival and has gone on to win a number of awards, including three each from the Los Angeles Animation Festival (Best Director – Animation, Best Dramatic Short, Best of the Fest) and Jane Austen International Film Festival (Best Director – Animation, Special Jury Award, Best Animation) in Bath, England.

Synopsis: A Jewish doctor and his family are living a comfortable life in Cologne, Germany when, in 1938, the Nazis enact a law making it illegal for a Jewish doctor to treat non-Jews. The doctor defies that law and the consequences are harsh. Will his past determine his future? The Whistle is a testament to the power of empathy, hope and integrity, even in the darkest times. Based on a true story.

The 2D short has an interesting pedigree. Director Greg Franklin, co-founder of L.A.-based animation studio Six Point Harness (6PH), has mostly helmed adult-targeted comedies — including the highly irreverent Birlikte Çizilmiş Film! and the Tig Notaro: Drawn special — but also has experience handling more sober fare, having served as creative director on the 2021 mini series How to Become a Tyrant. Franklin wrote the screenplay with 6PH Head of Development Wendy Willis (Bigfoot).

The Whistle is a Dickenson, LLC production in association with Angry Child Productions and Six Point Harness. The short is produced by Nancy LaPook Diamond and executive produced by Frozen star Josh Gad, Nancy Dickenson, Jenniphr Goodman and Lorraine Gallard.

Watch the trailer on the Six Point Harness website.