John Kelly’s "Retirement Plan" Heads to HollyShorts

Key Takeaways

Embrace Iterative Filmmaking: John Kelly found that working incrementally in 2D animation allowed for surprising creative leaps, particularly during the voice-over session with Domhnall Gleeson.
Trust Your Instincts: Kelly defended the film’s ending until feedback from trusted collaborators led him to refine it, demonstrating the balance between artistic vision and receptive collaboration.
Overcome Creative Blockages: Inspired by Rick Rubin’s advice, Kelly bypassed a storyboard blockage by working non-linearly, illustrating the power of adapting your approach.

Meet John Kelly, an animator residing in Dublin, whose film Retirement Plan has already captivated audiences by winning both the Grand Jury and Audience Awards at SXSW 2025.

With a background from the Royal College of Art in London, Kelly is now bringing his distinctive animated short to the prestigious HollyShorts Film Festival.

The film features the talents of Domhnall Gleeson as Ray, and was co-written with Tara Lawall, a New York-based writer making her short film debut.

The animation was brought to life by Marah Curran and Eamonn O'Neill, while Andrew Freedman and Julie Murnaghan handled production. Music for the film was composed by John Carroll Kirby.

Q&A Interview

What drew you to make this film? Why this story, and why now?

I had a mild panic attack on an airplane, and this film idea sort of plopped out. I made it because I couldn’t think about making anything else for about 6 months — so the film kind of twisted my arm into making it.

What surprised you most about the filmmaking process this time?

With 2D animation there is no shoot, so the entire thing is sort of incremental filmmaking, iteratively improving. When we did the Voice Over session with Domhnall Gleeson, however, the whole thing took this stratospheric leap. In just a few hours, he gave us a tonne of incredible work, scripted and non scripted, and turned the film into something we could never have expected.

"The whole thing took this stratospheric leap with Domhnall's incredible work."

Is there a moment in the film that feels the most you?

The script is half me and my very talented co-writer Tara, but one line “I will finally find my sport” certainly rings true — I’m still searching for mine.

What was the hardest creative decision you made while making this film?

The hardest creative decision was the ending. Without giving anything away, there was quite a thoughtful moment at the film’s conclusion, followed by a gag. A few people started delicately questioning the gag, including Domhnall. I took it out, allowed the film to finish on a thoughtful note without comedic puncture, and I’m so glad I did.

"I defended it to the death! I wasn’t being stubborn, I was finally trusting my instinct."

What do you hope audiences take away from your film?

What has been lovely is seeing people take all kinds of different unexpected things from it — that is the DREAM. I made something I want to see, and it’s a delight if other people connect with it in any way.

How has this film shaped or shifted the kind of stories you want to tell next?

Making this film has unblocked some kind of weird cranial dam — I’m more excited about making work now than I’ve ever been. I’ve just been awarded funding from Screen Ireland here for a new short “Rat Story”, which I’m describing as a comedy horror action documentary (C.H.A.D. for short).

"Making this film has unblocked some kind of weird cranial dam."

What’s a tool, technique, or resource that really helped you during production?

At one point I’d hit a complete wall with the storyboard. I was reading Rick Rubin’s “The Creative Act” where he says, “work around it.” So I skipped the tricky bit and worked in a much more non-linear way then, and since. It sounds completely obvious of course, but it’s been a revelation.

What does it mean to you to have your film selected for HollyShorts?

It’s so exciting. The festival’s reputation speaks for itself, it’s a real treat to have our animation included as part of the lineup.

Where do you see this film going next?

We’ve lots more festival screenings in the works, most we can’t announce yet. I’ve a few shorts on the way and a feature-length animated documentary. I want to make too many things.