Short Animation created for THEA291Q: 2D Art and Animation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

This project began by creating a fictional world of our choosing to animate into a well-developed and plot-driven animation. Initial inspiration came from traditional Bavarian and European architecture and further took aesthetics from films such as Frozen. The first step was an initial snapshot animation of our world, with various moving parts within, such as snow falling and the northern lights moving in the back. The initial animation, seen below, shows Flykra, a village of snow trolls that were forced to migrate to this area after their home was destroyed by a heat wave. The animation shows their annual winter market, an event that celebrates the cold weather still available to them.

The animation and short story were both fully drawn Procreate. Once drawing the scenes, I used techniques within Procreate and After Effects to animate. Narration was produced with VoiceMaker.In, an AI generated speech app. 

As for the characters themselves, they both took inspiration from Icelandic folklore to tie along with the Nordic name "Flykra", meaning snowflake.

The short animation follows the journey of the land keeper discovering Flykra beginning to melt and being chosen to find the Soren Stone to enact a shield around Flykra to protect the land.

Initial Environment and Character Sketches:

Animation Storyboard:

The short animation developed into a longer story about climate change, which would help audiences and specifically younger audiences understand the effects of climate change by using fictional characters and aesthetically appealing environments. 

Process/Sketches: