Coin Operated - Animated Short Film

Written & Directed by Nicholas Arioli

"Coin Operated" is an award-winning 5 minute animated short film that spans 70 years in the life of one naive explorer. This film was proudly made by independent artists.

Official Selection: AFI Fest 2017, TIFF Kids 2018, Hamptons Film Fest 2017, San Francisco Film Fest 2018, Mill Valley Film Fest 2018
Winner, Best Short Animation: Rhode Island Intl Film Fest 2017, Pittsburgh Film Fest 2017, At&T Film Awards 2017
Winner, Audience Award: Palm Springs Intl Short Fest 2017, Naples Intl Film Fest 2017, Brooklyn Film Fest 2017

[syundown]

Anyone else notice how in the last frame when the ship is flying over the clouds that he's a kid again?

[rngJs-wisd]

Bro really stood there for 60+ years with his eyes opened, what a legend.

[mrCetus]

When we're kids, We dream of growing up and reaching the stars, but in the end, we spend our whole lives working, wishing for one chance to be a kid again.

[patrickstar]

And that kids, is how the Apollo mission really happened

[khoivuongminh]

Worthy of the winning award movie title, it was one of the great 5 minutes in my life. The man worked hard, he dreamt big and he achieved his dream. In my opinion, the film is not a moral lesson about working hard or money’s power, but the importance of having a goal/dream in our life, the one that motivate us to move forward, to live another day, and to pursue our own happiness. By the way, his disappointed face when he first tried the rocket spring rider was priceless, such a pure innocent look (and a little cute) when he found out the reality does not like his expectation, we all have been there, right:)?. That’s all for my amateur critics, peace.

[petergambier]

As a 20 year veteran of hand-drawn animation with the various greats in the industry I know my onions and this is a masterful bit of story telling thanks to Nicholas & 2 Ghosts.

[sherri]

While he was selling lemonade I thought he was saving for a science degree so he could actually go to space D:

[r.al.]

I imagine he died of disappointment when the ride doesn't go to the moon. But when he dies (while sitting in the ride) his young soul travels to the moon.

[clydoscope]

For those who take it literally, this is a metaphor of our life, how we spend some time in our childhood bored, and ending up wanting to go back there in the end.

[machumsimmons]

I love how his last ride still brought the kid out of him... a lifetime later

[OcnarfPro]

Hmmm, that ending in the clouds and him as a kid... he went to heaven alright.

[juliannamitchell]

i'm a senior year screenwriting student whos feeling very, very burnt-out and impassionate about screenwriting. however, i was reminded of this short that i saw at the pittsburgh shorts festival in 2018. it made me emotional and inspired then, and it just reminded me why i love to make movies now.

[jerinagnes]

I think the boy was a dreamer and every scene after seeing the coin operated machine was just only his dream😊

[BarneyEg]

I think that the old man is really blasting off to heaven
*Just my theory*

[SunKissedPeach]

*i think it’s sad how people have to work there whole life just for one dream and never achieve it*

[siloechantraine]

the moral is that you have to believe in your dreams and work to make them come true. It taught me that it takes a lot of work to achieve your goals CST

[thej]

this dude rlly spent 70 years of his life selling lemonade and wasted it on a toy rocket

[Frankyspankymalarkey]

*And his mom never came out out of that grocery store again..*

[assumingtrash]

I think this is a metaphor. He wasn’t actually selling lemonade for the rest of his life. It showed that he always had hoped to go to the moon but he never had. Then when he dies he blast off to the moon with the spirit of when he was a child. Edit: also I don’t think his mom ditched him I think all this just represents his life and how he moved into his own house and didn’t live with his mom anymore.

[alexadam]

when the rocket launched i got instant goosebumps...such a powerful animated film