I guess not. “Working our way out” is our best shot in producing an animation based on strict rules, but there were some major errors in timing and we were among some other very experienced, talented teams. We’ve never left the country. And there’s not so much publicity on Egypt as there is for medieval Europe, Irish pubs, Japanese temples, American highways, African safaris..

Anyway, we’re going! With good company, since there are 3 more UNESP teams in the finals this year, and another lot of brazilians. I hope someone knows how to dance. Or to play football.

Until July 2nd, we’ll go on dreaming about… sand. And spices, pyramids, bellydancing, strange languages, camera specs, sunblock, pillowfight and camels.

Come back for more updates, and check some of our favorite videos this year:

The W Stone

Paideia Robot

It was made with watercolor and nanquim.

Our farmer José and his friends.

This year’s theme is “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today.”

We want to tell a story about how people can change and learn on difficult times, how they can stand up to what’s wrong and find interconnected solutions for interconnected problems using technology as a source of information.

The main character is José, a young typical farmer –never having learned anything else that kept his crops going, as his father and grandfather. It changes when his and the neighbouringfarms face a severe crop disease due to water pollution. He wants to help, so he bravely goes to the library, trying to learn. With the help of a gentle girl and her laptop, he gets lots of ideas to work on, and develops a water filter. The more he learns the more he works out things, people get to trust and help him, helping each other. They seek the beginning of their problems to find a polluting factory. After some talk to the factory manager and presenting José’s filter, he’s invited to develop some other sets for that kind of factory. The farmers now have their crops back and support from the factory, which hires more working with the new technology and along with the people. Joséand the manager travel the world spreading their views and getting more and moresupport and acceptance with their ideas.

It’s easier (if not only possible) to make experiences and twists when you know the basics.

It might seem a bit old, but that is what we do.

We have always been keen on all kinds of animation, but as we were kids when Disney came up with Snow White, Cinderella, The Lion King, Mulan and others; Ghibli with Tonari no Totoro, Nausicaä, Mononoke Hime and others;  it’s only natural to think of great animation being made in 2d. It’s the crafted flavor and the slow process, i guess. And maybe the fact that great 3d animation has (almost every time) been about making people laugh. Maybe Coraline and stop-motion productions like Corpse Bride made people dream about things that could not be..

Making 2d frame-by-frame animation is a whole lot of work. The first thing Claudia did was an extensive course on animation – only to find out that there’s much more than she was expecting (we’re sort of still in this stage). Then she bought a simple animation table. Actually, it is a light table with an animation ruler. She later produced another (in our faculty “woodwork” course), so we could work together.

And that is a bouncing ball – the warm-up to strech, timing, flipping, keying and all other basics on animation.

We’re happy to present you this new micro- animation studio based on Bauru, Brasil. A Casa Amarela is originally a project by Claudia Daher and Talita Hayata, and changes places and staff from time to time.

Everybody who seriously wants an animation full hands-on is welcome – that includes preparing animator’s food, washig animator’s clothes, composing animation soundtracks…

This blog will soon be feeded with our last productions and work routine. Videos, pics and sketches all over!