The story was inspired by my race against the clock to finish my studio projects before graduation and my love of cooking. The visual style is inspired by animated TV shows including Over the Garden Wall and Gravity Falls, along with illustrated storybooks such as Goodnight Moon and Frog And Toad.
Below, you will find a storyboard and other process materials. The story follows a frog who is racing against the clock (or, rather, a chicken-shaped kitchen timer) to finish cooking an elaborate dinner. We watch as she prepares a few different dishes, but right as she realizes the cranberries aren't quite right, the timer dings! She frantically adds some orange zest which brings it all together. There is a knock on the door and she is greeted by several friends bearing dishes, flowers, and wine. The music lightens and the tension eases. They light the candles on the table and dig into the delicious feast, chatting and enjoying the company of their found family.
Over the next few years I hope to finish the animation and add final touches like sound design and additional texturing to enhance the hand-drawn quality. Unfortunately there is no sound at this point, but I imagine jaunty, up-tempo ragtime music during the high-stress cooking scenes that reaches its crux when the timer dings. The tension is released as our protagonist tastes the zesty cranberries, and the music eases into relaxed but funky dinner jazz.
Narrative and Visual Precendents
Storyboard
