Lessons Learned (film)

Lessons Learned is a 2014 fantasy short film written and directed by Toby Froud. The film's visuals were achieved widely through the use of puppetry and animatronics.

Lessons Learned
Film poster
Directed by	Toby Froud
Written by	Toby Froud
Produced by	Sherri Morgan
Starring	William Todd-Jones David Skelly Bryonie Arnold Brandie Sylfae Scott Woodard Mark Lewis
Cinematography	Scott Tebeau
Edited by	Margaret Lily Andres
Release date	April 1, 2014 (2014-04-01) (United States)
Running time	16 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Cast

• William Todd-Jones as Boy
• David Skelly as Digby
• Bryonie Arnold as Spider Fate
• Brandie Sylfae as Spider Fate
• Scott Woodard as King
• Mark Lewis as Grandpa

Production

Lessons Learned was written and directed by Toby Froud, son of the fantasy illustrators and puppet makers Brian and Wendy Froud. Toby, who had appeared as the baby Toby Williams in Jim Henson's Labyrinth, had developed an interest in puppetry from an early age. The film was executive produced by Heather Henson, daughter of the puppeteers Jim and Jane Henson, who financed the film as part of her Handmade Puppet Dreams series.^[1]

To raise money for the film, Froud launched a Kickstarter campaign on July 2, 2013, with a goal of $25,000. The campaign closed on August 1, 2013, having successfully raised $53,330.^[2][3]

Release

The film premiered in April 2014. It also played at the Portland Film Festival in August 2014.^[1]

Awards

Year	Organisation	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2014	Dragon Con Independent Film Festival	Best Animated Film		Won[4]
	FilmQuest	Best Art Direction/Production Design	Scott Foster and Toby Froud	Won[5]
		Best Makeup Effects	Toby Froud	Won[5]
		Best Fantasy Short Film		Nominated[5]
2015	Pixie Awards	Visual Effects (Gold)	Stripey Pajama Productions	Won[6]