If you were told a girl struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig back-to-back in a ballgame, would that get your attention? It happened in 1931 in Chattanooga, TN. And yet the story of Jackie Mitchell’s place in baseball lore is somehow lost in obscurity. You would imagine the experience of a young girl facing and besting two of baseball’s most celebrated names would be more than just a blip on the public’s radar, but that’s all it seems to have achieved. This was more that just an oddity in women’s, baseball and American history. It’s a demonstration of success from self confidence on an intimidating stage that deserves to be highlighted. The animated short film Curves looks to do just that with Jackie Mitchell’s accomplishment. 

The recreation of Jackie’s turn in the spotlight and her experiences that lead up to it lends itself to animation. With traditional hand-drawn animation, we’re able to create a look and feel reminiscent of that era and the dynamic camera angles and transitions in time wouldn’t be nearly as rich and vibrant if carried out in live action. It’s our hope that Curves doesn’t just creatively capture Jackie’s moment, but strikes a nerve for those that see it to follow up and research more information about her and any of the other numerous achievements of women in baseball. There’s never not a good time to expose people to stories of success that could inspire themselves to do the same. And that’s ultimately the purpose of Curves.

We are deeply grateful for the inclusion of Curves in the Denver Film Society’s Fiscal Sponsorship Program. Your tax-deducible donation will help see this project through beyond the production of the animation, sound and scoring as there are also legal fees and licensing rights for use of the legendary figures involved. We hope you’ll consider helping bring this film to life! Thank you!

To keep up with our progress and any news on the film, please follow the Curves page on Facebook.