Animation & Motion Design
Melissa Duffy
Bright Eyes & Bushy Tails
‘Bright Eyes and Bushy Tails’ is a short film encapsulating the wild imaginations of a sick child and the wonderfully eccentric phrases heard frequently in the artists home. The piece delves into the the artists personal reflections and their appreciation for a childhood comfort toy. The phrases, motivated by a maternal inspiration, animates the child’s imagination into hallucinating large donkeys and mice. It is in fact the child’s own comfort toy who rescues him from his imagined terrors. The toy at first seems menacing, but soon proves itself to be a familiar friend. The toy provides great comfort to the child in his time of need and although his mother is busy, his toy is there as a constant comfort, until she saves her son from his tribulation.
The piece explores the idea that the maternal support cannot always be available, but the love of a soft toy can be a great comfort until she can be there. Through the mixed mediums of 2D animation and film, the piece exhibits the beasts in garish, kitsch heads, manically terrifying the child. This is starkly contrasted to the playful animated scenes of his reality. By animating the boy in exaggerated curves and shapes, he displays a liquid-like form, to represent the foreboding feeling of illness.