The Little Reindeer

An Emmy-nominated informative commercial introducing a new, statewide, education initiative from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and the Illinois School Board of Education.

Film illustrates the ensuing friendship between Anna and her cloud ever since that memorable Christmas morning.

In this experimental animation I wanted to tell a story using only symbols and color while capturing the rhythms and pace of city life. I did this by animating to real audio that was recorded on the streets of New York; in bars, clubs, subways and the back of taxi cabs. The animation was done using an animation app on my iPhone. The result is Saul Bass meets Bright Lights, Big City, a cartoon modern take on city nightlife.

The story, a metaphoric description of the human inner condition, begins when a nineteenth century carriage stops at the main square of an unknown city. Night is falling.The carriage driver opens the door, expecting to find his master, but a crowd of strangers steps out.The driver, upset and confused, seeks help from other carriage drivers...He will discover that he is part of a very ancient allegory, the allegory of man compared to a carriage.Thus begins a series of mythic adventures,where his quest can be understood at many different levels, very simple but also symbolical of a much greater meaning.