When the Day Breaks (Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, 1999) is a 9-minute Canadian short film which depicts the daily lives of two anthropomorphic characters, a rooster and a pig. The two share a brief interaction after the pig accidentally causes a lemon to drop out of the rooster’s shopping, leading to a dramatic car accident.
The main attraction to be found within the film is, without a doubt, the animation style. Utilising pencil and paint on photocopies, the filmmakers achieve a distinctive textured style of animation – akin to lithography. Each frame is hand-drawn and is sequenced in stop motion, creating a unique visual spectacle. The filmmakers aptly blend the familiar monotony of everyday life, with a distinctive and evocative aesthetic to form an intriguing viewing experience. The medium of animation allows the film to display objects with incredible detail. At one point, we are presented with the inner-workings of an iron in which the many wires are displayed to us.
During the awkward exchange between the pair, the viewer is able to accurately read the emotion of both characters. Despite the lack of dialogue and discernible human features, annoyance can be clearly surmised in the rooster and embarrassment in the pig respectively, thanks to Tilby and Forbis’ meticulous attention to detail. After the rooster is hit by the car, the smashed groceries on the pavement that are displayed to us are perhaps symbolic of the spontaneous unpredictability that life holds and that nothing lasts forever.
Although I did enjoy the unique visual elements of When the Day Breaks, I found that the core issue that the film suffered from is style over substance. The plot of the film could be described as minimalist at best and serves merely as a display for the animation style, which I personally found somewhat nauseating. The film demonstrated to me the effect that a striking visual spectacle can have on the viewer.
Otis Morley’s A-Level Film Studies Blog 
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