Borrowed Time, an independent animated short written and directed by two Pixar artists, has already won over 10 awards and has been selected for over 40 film festival since its premiere last October. The short has officially made its debut online today and is now available for the world to see on Vimeo for a limited time as part of the Staff Picks. The short tells the emotional story of a sheriff haunted by memories of a tragic accident from his past.

Co-writers and directors Lou Hamou-Lhadj and Andrew Coats started developing the short during their spare time over five years ago. During that same period of time they both worked at Pixar on films such as Toy Story 3, Brave, and Inside Out. The short is much darker and more mature than anything you would usually expect from Western animation.

“In America, animation has largely become synonymous with kids’ films, whereas elsewhere around the world it’s celebrated as a medium that can be used to tell any story. We feel this cultural difference limits the potential audience and range of themes in American animation, and is a large part of why we chose to make ‘Borrowed Time.’ ” Coats told Variety.

A weathered Sheriff returns to the remains of an accident he has spent a lifetime trying to forget. With each step forward, the memories come flooding back. Faced with his mistake once again, he must find the strength to carry on.

Borrowed Time is now available to watch on Vimeo, you can visit the short’s Facebook page to see if the short has been selected to play at a film festival near you.

What did you think of the animated short Borrowed Time? Would you like to see more of this directing duo?

Edited by: Hannah Wilkes