By Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 7/28/23 – “Beans, beans, they’re good for the heart. One named Pinto was mean at the start. But helping another was exactly the cure, And that made him a nice bean, that’s for sure!”
Click below to see live interview:
It’s a twist on an old rhyme about the gastric benefits of the consumption of legumes, but one that is very fitting for R.J. Sullivan’s charming and socially relevant animated short, Pinto the Mean Bean, set to screen at two Oregon short film festivals in August.
The short film, which has played to acclaim at several festivals worldwide, tells the story of Pinto, a bean who lives in a crowded, noisy place called Legumeopolis, “but that’s a mouthful,” the film’s narrator tells us, “So we’ll just call it Bean City!”. Right off the bat, we get a glimpse of Sullivan’s wry sense of humor.
In Pinto’s estimation, there’s a lot to be upset about, and frankly, that is what has made Pinto grumpy and just downright mean. Sullivan said that was the inspiration behind his short film – the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the big city.
“It’s something I’ve thought about quite a bit, just the way that people deal with their problems, being upset with different things in the world”, said the Portland, OR resident in an exclusive interview with “The Hollywood Times” while vacationing on the Oregon coast with his family. “Ultimately, there’s no shortage of things to be upset about. You can always find something, if you want to.”
Thankfully, our hero learns through helping someone in dire need of assistance, that there is much to smile about in life. A lesson learned courtesy of Pinto the Mean Bean: In a world moving so fast, that people seldomly have or make the time to show their gratitude, Pinto the Mean Bean is able to experience the power of being appreciated.
“Being grateful for what you do have is an underlying, implicit idea,” he said, adding that we all face choices each day. “You can choose to be upset, or you can choose not to be upset.”
Ultimately, after saving the life of a young bean about to be cooked in a hot spring, Pinto (who coincidentally drives a yellow Ford Pinto in another glimpse of Sullivan’s wit) sees the appreciation of the other beans and makes the choice to abandon his mean streak and become a quite likable legume.
“He realizes (people) are not as bad as he thought, “Sullivan said. “People have these stories, telling themselves how everybody thinks of them and how they are going to respond. So, he had this idea (of being mean) without ever trying to help anybody out. And he finds out people weren’t waiting to judge him, and they embrace him with open arms.”
The film has already received numerous accolades, including the Judges Select Short at the 2023 Berlin Lift-Off Festival; Honorable Mention at the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival; Best Children’s Short at the Hollywood International Film Festival; Best Children’s Short Award-Silver at the Independent Shorts Awards; and the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Los Angeles Indie Short Fest.
Sullivan, who animated and scored the film, even provided one of the voices, using a mixed media approach to animation by hand-painting watercolor backgrounds. Pinto the Mean Bean is part of a larger adult-oriented series Sullivan is in the process of creating called, The Pinto Variety Hour.
“It’s for adults, not for kids,” Sullivan said with a chuckle. Pinto hosts an adult-themed variety show which is always on the verge of cancellation. He has a family … so that is his plight. He’s kind of an everyman, dealing with the problems of his job and his family.”
Pinto will screen on Sunday, August 6th at 2PM as part of the “Finding You” Animated Shorts Block at the Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation and Technology. Aso on August 24th it will screen at the We Like ‘Em Short Festival in Baker, OR.
