When the animated short “If Anything Happens I Love You” debuted on Netflix, it soon became a viral sensation. Viewers found the dialogue-free film, about two parents grappling with grief after losing their daughter in a school shooting, so moving it spawned a “Can you get through this film without crying?” challenge online.But they weren’t the first. Nearly a year earlier, a screening for actor Laura Dern had the same effect.
Govier, McCormack, and producer Maryann Garger leapt at the opportunity to work with Dern and Lemons, and asked if the two women would join the team. The duo signed on through their production company Jaywalker Pictures. Enough Academy voters felt the same to earn the film a nomination for Best Animated Short. That speaks to both concerns about gun violence and the film’s universal themes.
Dern credits the male directing duo as well as the all-female animation team behind the film for its accessibility and relatability.