Video: WAR IS OVER! Animated Trailer Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

The trailer has been released for the Academy Award and Annie Award-winning animated short film, “WAR IS OVER! Inspired By The Music of John & Yoko." It will have its World Premiere exclusively on the Official John Lennon Channel on YouTube on December 1 at 6 pm GMT/1 pm EST/11 am PST here.

The film is set in an alternate WWI reality where, as a senseless war rages on, two soldiers on opposite sides of the conflict play a game of chess. A heroic carrier pigeon delivers the soldiers’ chess moves over the battlefield as the fighting escalates; meanwhile, neither soldier knows his opponent as the game and the war build to its climatic final move. Despite who wins the game, the film aims to illustrate that there are no winners in war.

Co-written by Sean Ono Lennon and 20-year Pixar alumni - writer, director, and animator Dave Mullins (“Up,” “Soul,” “Incredibles 2,” “Cars 2”), directed by Mullins and produced by Brad Booker (“Iron Giant,” “The Book of Life,” “Rumble”), it is Executive Produced by Sean Ono Lennon and Yoko Ono Lennon, with a score composed by 15-time Oscar®-nominee, Thomas Newman.

Sean Ono Lennon says, "In 2023, I worked with Dave Mullins and Brad Booker on an animated short film called WAR IS OVER! - about a wartime carrier pigeon delivering messages across the battlefield between two chess-playing soldiers - which I'm delighted to say, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. On 1 December this year we are premiering the film on YouTube and simultaneously raising donations for the charity Warchild - throughout the holiday season. We would be honoured if you would help us spread the word about the film and John & Yoko's timeless message that 'War is over if you want it.'

"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" / "Listen, The Snow Is Falling" is being released on 7” evergreen vinyl as a replica of the original 1971 release by John Lennon and Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir, with Ultimate Mixes of the tracks produced by Sean Ono Lennon and mixed and engineered by Paul Hicks and Sam Gannon. Find out more here.

To celebrate the release of the film, these two tracks plus Thomas Newman’s soundtrack of the WAR IS OVER! film are being released as a Limited Edition 12” Zoetrope Vinyl, designed by Drew Tetz using excerpts from the film. These three tracks will also be available for download and streaming. Find out more here.

The WAR IS OVER! film has also been adapted into a picture book with illustrations by the film’s character designer, Max Narciso. A carrier pigeon named Julia delivers messages to the battlefield, but she also has a secret mission. Even though the Red Jackets and the Great Coats are at war, Julia helps the soldiers on both sides play a special game to bring each other some joy during the holiday season. It is available now from Viking Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers. Learn more here.