No Time for Nuts
Encyclopedia
No Time for Nuts is a computer animated short film from Blue Sky Studios
(20th Century Fox Animation
), starring Scrat of Ice Age
fame, premiering on the DVD release of Ice Age: The Meltdown
, much in the same vein as Gone Nutty
on the previous movie's DVD release. It was also included in the Animation Show of Shows
in 2006.
), while trying to find a place to hide his acorn, finds a buried time machine next to the ice-encased skeletal body of a human time traveler. He accidentally activates the machine, sending the acorn away. Scrat gets mad and tries to beat up the time machine and it sends him to the Middle Ages
. Finding the acorn wedged under a rock, Scrat sees the Sword in the Stone
and decides to use it as a lever to move the rock. He pulls out the sword but then finds himself under attack by a group of unseen archers, and uses the sword to block the arrows fired by the archers. He frees the acorn and takes it and the time machine and races off to find cover, only to hide in the barrel of a cannon. The cannon fires him into the path of hundreds of incoming arrows. The time machine teleports the acorn mid-flight and Scrat just barely manages to activate the machine again for himself.
He materializes in an arena in Ancient Rome
. Scrat reaches for his acorn, but is dragged off when his tail is caught on a passing chariot pulled by a horse. Scrat manages to free himself just as a fanfare sounds. He thinks it is victory music introduces himself to the crowd like a triumphant gladiator
, proudly holding up his acorn. Then he hears the growl of a lion coming from the tunnel behind him. He activates the time machine again, and lands on a field of ice. He is overjoyed, thinking he is home, but he soon learns he's really in 1912 when he sees the RMS Titanic heading straight towards him. The time machine is activated after impact, and Scrat finds himself in the first Ice Age
movie, where he encounters himself and fights himself for his acorn. (Manny, Sid, Diego, and Roshan made a cameo watching the fight.) The acorn is teleported again, much to the distress of both Scrats.
The time traveling Scrat is sent to many dangerous situations where he would have been killed if he had not activated the time machine in time; firstly to the bottom of a launching rocket, Scrat desperately activates the time machine again, and is sent to a jewelery store, and is caught in red laser, and then he is sent to a girl's locker room where he is hit by a roller brush, and then he sent to the French Revolution
where he appears under the falling blade of a guillotine
, during Benjamin Franklin
's famous kite flying experiment
, in front of a wrecking ball
, in front of Hiroshima
, on the tracks in front of a speeding train, and in front of Michelangelo
's David
(this actually isn't a dangerous situation, but Scrat displays discomfort.). Frustrated, Scrat punches the machine, which sends him into a strange realm of floating timepieces. Scrat spots his acorn and grabs it, just before being drawn into a wormhole
along with his acorn and the time machine.
The wormhole lands Scrat in front of an enormous oak tree
. Overjoyed at the sight of so many acorns, he tosses away his time traveling acorn, which lands on and activates the time machine. Before it can fire again, Scrat smashes the time machine. Scrat attempts to remove the nuts from the tree, but soon discovers that it is only a sculpture, with a plaque
on it reading "Here Stood the Last Oak Tree." Scrat realizes he's in the far future, where oak trees (and acorns) are extinct. He realizes that the acorn he brought with him is the only one real one around. He makes a dash for it, but the time machine manages to fire one last time, transporting the acorn right out of his paws right before the time machine collapsed into pieces. Stranded in the acorn-less future, Scrat lets out a scream of frustration, ending the film.
Then the lost acorn ends up floating behind the credits of the film.
Blue Sky Studios
Blue Sky Studios is an American CGI-animation studio which specializes in high-resolution, computer-generated character animation and rendering. It is owned by 20th Century Fox and located in Greenwich, Connecticut...
(20th Century Fox Animation
20th Century Fox Animation
20th Century Fox Animation is the animation division of film studio 20th Century Fox.-Fox Animation Studios:Before 20th Century Fox started its animation division in 1997, 20th Century Fox released its first six animated films, such as Wizards, Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure , Fire and Ice...
), starring Scrat of Ice Age
Ice Age (film)
Ice Age is a 2002 American computer-animated film created by Blue Sky Studios and released by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Carlos Saldanha and Chris Wedge from a story by Michael J. Wilson. The story follows three Paleolithical mammals attempting to return a lost human baby to its parents...
fame, premiering on the DVD release of Ice Age: The Meltdown
Ice Age: The Meltdown
Ice Age: The Meltdown, also known as Ice Age 2: The Meltdown or simply as Ice Age 2, is the 2006 sequel to the 2002 computer-animated film Ice Age. It was produced by Blue Sky Studios for 20th Century Fox, and premiered in Belgium on March 1, 2006...
, much in the same vein as Gone Nutty
Gone Nutty
Gone Nutty is an animated short film, directed by Carlos Saldanha for Blue Sky Studios. The short features the character Scrat from Ice Age, who is yet again having troubles with collecting his beloved acorns. It has roughly the same story as the trailer at the very beginning of Ice Age...
on the previous movie's DVD release. It was also included in the Animation Show of Shows
Animation show of shows
The Animation Show of Shows is a traveling selection of the year's best animated short films, curated and presented by Acme Filmworks founder, Ron Diamond. It began in 1998 with the aim of showing the most original, funny, intelligent short animated films from all over the world and presenting them...
in 2006.
Synopsis
Scrat, the saber-toothed squirrel (a fictional animal from the Ice Age film seriesIce Age (film series)
Ice Age is a series of animated films produced by Blue Sky Studios, a division of 20th Century Fox, and featuring the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Chris Wedge. Three films have been released in the series thus far, Ice Age in 2002, Ice Age: The Meltdown in 2006, and Ice...
), while trying to find a place to hide his acorn, finds a buried time machine next to the ice-encased skeletal body of a human time traveler. He accidentally activates the machine, sending the acorn away. Scrat gets mad and tries to beat up the time machine and it sends him to the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Finding the acorn wedged under a rock, Scrat sees the Sword in the Stone
The Sword in the Stone
The Sword in the Stone is a novel by T. H. White, published in 1939, initially a stand-alone work but now the first part of a tetralogy The Once and Future King. A fantasy of the boyhood of King Arthur, it is a sui generis work which combines elements of legend, history, fantasy and comedy...
and decides to use it as a lever to move the rock. He pulls out the sword but then finds himself under attack by a group of unseen archers, and uses the sword to block the arrows fired by the archers. He frees the acorn and takes it and the time machine and races off to find cover, only to hide in the barrel of a cannon. The cannon fires him into the path of hundreds of incoming arrows. The time machine teleports the acorn mid-flight and Scrat just barely manages to activate the machine again for himself.
He materializes in an arena in Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. Scrat reaches for his acorn, but is dragged off when his tail is caught on a passing chariot pulled by a horse. Scrat manages to free himself just as a fanfare sounds. He thinks it is victory music introduces himself to the crowd like a triumphant gladiator
Gladiator
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
, proudly holding up his acorn. Then he hears the growl of a lion coming from the tunnel behind him. He activates the time machine again, and lands on a field of ice. He is overjoyed, thinking he is home, but he soon learns he's really in 1912 when he sees the RMS Titanic heading straight towards him. The time machine is activated after impact, and Scrat finds himself in the first Ice Age
Ice Age (film)
Ice Age is a 2002 American computer-animated film created by Blue Sky Studios and released by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Carlos Saldanha and Chris Wedge from a story by Michael J. Wilson. The story follows three Paleolithical mammals attempting to return a lost human baby to its parents...
movie, where he encounters himself and fights himself for his acorn. (Manny, Sid, Diego, and Roshan made a cameo watching the fight.) The acorn is teleported again, much to the distress of both Scrats.
The time traveling Scrat is sent to many dangerous situations where he would have been killed if he had not activated the time machine in time; firstly to the bottom of a launching rocket, Scrat desperately activates the time machine again, and is sent to a jewelery store, and is caught in red laser, and then he is sent to a girl's locker room where he is hit by a roller brush, and then he sent to the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
where he appears under the falling blade of a guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
, during Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
's famous kite flying experiment
Experiment
An experiment is a methodical procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results...
, in front of a wrecking ball
Wrecking ball
A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a crane, that is used for demolishing large buildings. It was most common during the 1950s and 1960s. Several wrecking companies claim to have invented the wrecking ball...
, in front of Hiroshima
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
, on the tracks in front of a speeding train, and in front of Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
's David
David (Michelangelo)
David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. It is a marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence...
(this actually isn't a dangerous situation, but Scrat displays discomfort.). Frustrated, Scrat punches the machine, which sends him into a strange realm of floating timepieces. Scrat spots his acorn and grabs it, just before being drawn into a wormhole
Wormhole
In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. For a simple visual explanation of a wormhole, consider spacetime visualized as a two-dimensional surface. If this surface is folded along a third dimension, it...
along with his acorn and the time machine.
The wormhole lands Scrat in front of an enormous oak tree
Oak Tree
Oak Tree may refer to:*Oak, the tree*Oak Tree, County Durham, a village in County Durham, England*The Oaktree Foundation, a youth-run aid and development agency*Oak Tree National, golf club in Edmond, Oklahoma...
. Overjoyed at the sight of so many acorns, he tosses away his time traveling acorn, which lands on and activates the time machine. Before it can fire again, Scrat smashes the time machine. Scrat attempts to remove the nuts from the tree, but soon discovers that it is only a sculpture, with a plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
on it reading "Here Stood the Last Oak Tree." Scrat realizes he's in the far future, where oak trees (and acorns) are extinct. He realizes that the acorn he brought with him is the only one real one around. He makes a dash for it, but the time machine manages to fire one last time, transporting the acorn right out of his paws right before the time machine collapsed into pieces. Stranded in the acorn-less future, Scrat lets out a scream of frustration, ending the film.
Then the lost acorn ends up floating behind the credits of the film.
Won
- 2006 - Annie AwardAnnie AwardThe Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
- Best Animated Short SubjectAnnie Award for Best Animated Short SubjectThe Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject is an Annie Award given annually to the best animated short film, except in 1999 and 2002. It was introduced in 1995...
Nominated
- 2007 - Academy Award - Best Animated Short Film
External links
- No Time for Nuts Official Blue Sky Studios Website
- Co-director Chris Renaud on No Time for Nuts Animated News & Views interview