Animation

I love stories like this where the lines between what's right, what's wrong and what's human conflict each other. This feels like it would make for a very relevant and epic story. The images definitely convey the scale and despair and the buried history.

Kevin Jackson In fact the movie drinks a lot from orwellian concepts of a distopia, but adapted for families, which is already pretty hard, as you can see it doesn't loose the suffocating atmoshpere, but still remains a vast an hopefull world where freedom seems more like privilege than a right, specialy for the main Character an hyperactive disabled boy who can't literaly run due to a malformation in his leg and can't even run inside his mind, and Armstrong, the robot, who just learns about life imitating this strange and unadapted little boy.

Alex Olguin, I actually came across Armstrong-D.U. during the voting recently and really liked it, so it’s interesting to see how you’re visualizing the world now.

The contrast between control and something buried underneath comes through strongly — it feels structured on the surface, but quietly unsettling underneath.

Living in that kind of system feels like it would be safe, but also restrictive in a way you might not fully notice at first.

Ayesha Simra Thank you, I'm glad it works so well. I mainly want to use all this art and concepts as guidance for the real artists and these coments help a lot to iterate for new visual concepts to make the world clearer.

About the voting... yes! I still can't believe I0ve gotten so far with this, specialy since Armstrong-D.U. is the only animated feature in the contest in Kinolime. I really hope I make it to the last 10 and then to the final 3.

Thanks for all the support, and the comment. They help a lot.

Alex Olguin, That makes sense, using it as a foundation for real artists. It already feels very cohesive as a world.

And honestly, getting that far with an animated feature is impressive, especially since it stands out from the rest. Hope it makes it to the final round. Best of luck!

hello Darrell Pennington

i would love to connect with you, i am a 3d animator

Hi Abidoye Ezekiel - let's connect and discuss in the message section. THANK YOU!

Interesting premise. Dark comedy with animation inside live action is a tricky tonal balance. What's the animation style—hand-drawn, digital, stop-motion? That affects tone a lot.

Sam Rivera That's a good question and as someone who is not a big consumer of animation I may be open to ideas but my initial conception was hand-drawn comic strip style. Not entirely sure if the animated and live action worlds interact or Dave just is exposed to that world through the placemat strip. Would certainly be open to feedback and suggestions.

I'm sad about this one too as I'm very excited but what all I've heard is that it's been leaked and people have already seen it. It's sad to see something like as it is one of my most anticipated projects to watch this year, I still wonder how they will retcon this whole thing

An arrest has been made of a man in Singapore who apparently hacked and leaked the movie. https://www.instagram.com/p/DXhXkONjMAO/?igsh=cjl6bDdzYWF3NHYz

Sam Rivera I have heard 25 million people have seen it already.

Listen Banafsheh Esmailzadeh this entire movie is a masterclass. So many parts are my favourite. The Carl and Ellie story being my favourite. Told with action and no dialogue yet you felt it so hard. I loved whe Russell came over and started reciting his script to Carl and Carl kept shutting him out. Only to realise Russell was still with him when the house took off. Every scene with dug and the plot twist with Carl’s childhood hero.

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh, I love this so much, and welcome to the Up appreciation club. That opening montage really is one of the best examples of visual storytelling doing all the heavy lifting, no exposition, no over-explaining, just pure emotion. The fact that it makes you feel that deeply in such a short amount of time is exactly why it’s studied so often. I cried when I watched it in theaters for the first time.

If you haven’t watched them yet, I highly recommend Into the Spider-Verse and the Netflix series Arcane. Both are incredible examples of animation pushing storytelling in different ways. Spider-Verse is a masterclass in style, pacing, and character voice, while Arcane dives deep into emotional complexity, world-building, and layered character arcs.

True about the opening montage. I never experienced a film that could have you crying before the inciting incident! For me, it is their best film.

Love when they finally reach the falls and Carl just sits. Quiet. No speech. Perfect. One I'd recommend is Inside Out. The control panel scene hits just as hard.

Very true and characters' pose, even when standing still can convey emotion and motion once you know the feeling you are going for. Sadness is not just expressed in the face but in body language and clothes, even the environment.

Abidoye Ezekiel, I love your point about a simple animated scene sometimes saying more than multiple live action shots. That ability to distill emotion down to its essence is one of animation’s greatest strengths. Is there a specific animated moment or project that really made this click for you?

Ashley Renée Smith

yes there is, there is this project i did for one of client somw years ago, that project makes me really know the power of animation, and that's what makes me take animation serious to date

Animation lends to caricaturing life, thus heightening the visual interpretation of emotion and action.

Great work. Nice clean storyboard. Clear.

That's a great place to start. The end result should always be in mind from the beginning.

Really well said, Abidoye Ezekiel. I’m curious, once you’ve identified that feeling, what’s your next step? Do you map it out through storyboards, references, or go straight into rough motion tests?

Ashley Renée Smith

i do map out through storyboard, it is easier to to re draw than to re animate a particular scene

Alex Olguin What stands out most is your commitment to restraint. Building an adult animated series that leans on atmosphere, silence, and visual storytelling. Your references to Samurai Jack and Primal make a lot of sense here, especially in how they trust the audience to engage without over-explaining. Since you’re leaning so heavily into visual storytelling, what has been the biggest challenge so far in communicating these deeper themes without relying on dialogue?

Ashley Renée Smith That’s a great question, thank you for taking the time to really look into it.

Interestingly, silence itself wasn’t the biggest challenge for me. The protagonist was conceived from the start as someone who barely speaks, and the world around him follows that same logic, with only very specific characters breaking that pattern.

The real challenge has been maintaining the tone.

Finding that balance between something tender or emotional, without breaking the darker, more visceral atmosphere of the series, especially in Chapter 1, has been the hardest part. It’s a constant tension between contrast and consistency.

In a way, the silence helps… but the tone is what holds everything together.

That’s awesome, Geoff Hall! What are you most looking forward to? Are you going to see it with your son?

Hello Ekaterina Pavlova

I am Abidoye Ezekiel, I'm a 2d animator and a storyboard artist focused on cinematic storytelling

your animatic is cool, I will like to connect and see if we can work together, in bringing this project to life

Hello, Abidoye Ezekiel I sent you the request

Hey, Chase Carmichael! Welcome! Have you listed these concepts as loglines on your profile? You can add them (hover on the PROFILE tab and then click on LOGLINE) and then ask members to rate and comment on each! Otherwise, I would highly recommend posting in the Animation Lounge to meet more like-minded animation writers: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/animation

As for me, last year I launched my Off Duty, Thanks! brand (www.offdutythanks.shop - I just made new apparel for Mother's Day!) and this year I'm focusing on publishing my #StoryMath YouTube channel and book. It's not ready yet, but here is the channel if you'd like to start following ahead of our launch: https://www.youtube.com/@storymath.online

I spend most of my time in the Stage 32 Writers' Room, though, so if ever you need accountability or more regular activities throughout the week to keep your projects moving forward, feel free to join me there! For more info, you can drop me or Geoff an email at WritersRoom@stage32.com Cheers!

Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

it amazing man, i.am also an animator as well.

I would love to connect with you

Hello Ezekiel,

Thank you for reaching out.

I would be interested to learn more about your ideas and how we might collaborate. On my side, I am currently developing a full creative universe around my character, Baby Madison.

If you would like more information, please feel free to let me know, I would be happy to share additional details.

Best regards,

Mason Ewing