The Next Animation + Story Boards

I started thinking about the next animation, and how I’d convey the message and meaning I wanted. I also thought about the transition between the two animations. After watching a Chris Shepherd animation I came up with the idea for the transition to be a flower falling out of frame of the first animation, and into the next one. This would be an easy, yet effective transition. It would also be believable and not out because flowers do naturally fall from trees.

I storyboarded parts of the second animation. I tried to make it so it would tell my story, but not be too difficult or time consuming to animate. I wanted to have the fox walk into frame, and under a tori gate, and then flowers would bloom. The tori gate idea I got from some of my previous ink drawings of them. This would symbolise Japan more, and also be a nod to the fact that the inspiration for the fox statue came from Fushimi Inari Shrine. Furthermore it would help convey the story that the fox is a spirit, trying to protect and nurture nature.

The fox passing under the gate, and then the flowers blooming, would hopefully show that the fox is what caused the flowers to bloom.