Thesis Concept For my thesis I am making an animation based on limbo. The story will be a dark comedy about a frog that keeps exaggerating his death and keeps delaying his passage into heaven. I want to make this animation because it reflects the type of work I want to do after Parsons and I really enjoy the work that goes into completing an animation.

Research For my animation I researched Greek mythology for inspiration. I found that the story about the Underworld the most fascinating, particularly what happens before people are guided down the river of Styx. Before the dead are sent down the river of Styx they must give one coin to Charon the ferryman. If they do not have a coin (due to an improper burial) then they are left on the river shore to wander as aimless spirits until someone gives their body a proper burial. There is one story from Greek mythology that talks about how one man who asked his wife not to bury him or give him his coin when he died so that he could come back to life. His plan was to stay on the shore of the Styx and convince Hades wife, Persephon, to send him back. He managed to convince Persephon by complaining that his wife had not given him a proper burial and asked if he could be sent back to scold her. He promised her that he would return to the river afterward so Persephon sent him back. He was the only person to ever escape the underworld. http://www.history.com/topics/hades/videos#the-cult-of-hades I also researched other animations using similar styles and storylines such as Key Lime Pie, Sheeped Away, and Granny O’Grimms Sleeping Beauty

Key Lime Pie Sheeped Away

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auyXxSEpAbo http://vimeo.com/28551506

The Lady and the Reaper Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty

http://vimeo.com/9985840 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIDv1jJhoxY

Mind Map for Limbo

The Story for Limbo The story starts with two frogs dying and their souls ascending upward to the island in the sky called Limbo. The two frogs are directed by a sign to wait on line. There are several other souls in front of them talking to a large crow. When they get to the front of the line the crow, named Red, introduces himself as the manager of Limbo, greets the two souls. He explains that they must recall their deaths before passing onto heaven. He asks the frogs who they are and how they died. The first frog, Melanie, says she died of a heart attack when she found out her husband had died. Red writes the information on his clipboard and points her to a large ship called the S.S. Heaven. There are several other souls already on the ship. Next to the ship is a clock indicating that the boat leaves in the next 15 min. Red then asks the second frog, named Frank, to recall his death. Frank tells him that he was walking along when a mob of ninja flies descended upon him. He says he tried to fight them off but they overtook him with throwing stars. First flashback/fight scene: It starts off in a Japanese garden-like setting along the edge of a pond. Frank is meditating on a dock when he hears a noise coming from the tall grass. Throwing stars fly out and Frank dashes out of the way in a flash. Three Ninja flies emerge from the grass and speed toward him. Frank suddenly takes out a concealed samurai sword and cuts the first fly in half. A second fly tries to sneak up behind him but Frank jumps and slashes the fly from above. The third fly tries to run and Frank chases after him. The fly leads him further into the grass where he is swarmed by a mob of flies with throwing stars. The scene cuts right before the stars reach Frank. As soon as Red finishes writing down Frank’s story, the paper on his clipboard explodes. Red gives Frank a funny look and Melanie looks frustrated with her face in her hand. Red asks Frank how he ACTUALLY died. Frank proceeds to tell him that he died when he was defending his frog kingdom from the fly marauders. He gives a detailed story of how he fought off dozens of flies. He died when a lone fly hit him in the back with an arrow. Second flashback/fight scene: The scene starts with Frank dressed as a king patrolling the walls of his castle. The castle is also located on the edge of a pond. As he is patrolling the wall he sees a bush rustling and he leaves the castle to investigate. As soon as he exits the castle he is ambushed by dozens of fly marauders. He uses his long sword to decapitate 2 of the flies at once. He turns around and slices the arms of another fly

with a mace. One fly throws a spear at Frank but he cuts it down in mid air and stabs the fly. It appears that Frank has won the battle. As he triumphantly stands over the bodies, a lone fly takes aim from a tall reed above. The scene cuts right before the arrow hits Frank in the face. Red’s notes explode again. Melanie is furious with Frank and starts yelling and pointing at the ships departure time (3 min). A new soul then appears and cuts in front of Frank. It’s a large fly that tells Red that he died when Frank choked on him. The fly is directed toward the boat. Frank gives Red an embarrassed smile and Red points him toward the ship. Frank just barley makes it onto the boat and Melanie is relieved. As the ship takes off Frank starts telling the other passengers about his heroic death. His wife gives him a funny look as the ship sails into the sunset.

Cover for Limbo

Characters

 

The Island of Limbo              Environment for First Flashback 

 

1st Flashback Feedback: The setting for the first scene is very appropriate for the action that will occur. It looks ominous and the water might look good with a small amount of animation later on. 

 

Environment for Second Flashback        Final Ship 

   2nd Flashback Feedback: The castle is a great improvement over previous versions. The castle is in the frog’s mind so it should look as over the top as his imagination 

 

Ship Feedback: The Ship looks good for the setting that it is in. It should look tattered and old to convey it’s long standing place in Limbo. 

 

 

 

 

Action Scene 

 

 

Storyboards 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Production Schedule 

Monday December 5th- Finished storyboards Monday December 12th- Finished Animatic, start creating settings Thursday December 22nd- Computer is fixed Wednesday December 28th- Finished settings for boards 1-30 Wednesday January 4th- Finished settings for boards 30-60 Wednesday January 18th- Finished settings for remaining boards. Start animation. Tuesday January 24th- Finished animation for scene 1-18 Tuesday January 31st- Finished animation for scene 18-28 Tuesday February 7th- Finished animation for scenes 28-42 Tuesday February 14th- Finished animation for scenes 42-58 Tuesday February 21st- Finished animation for scenes 58-70 Tuesday February 28th- Finished animation for remaining scenes Tuesday March 6th- Record and integrate audio Tuesday March 13th- Tweak animation