Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting: Digital Painting and Expanded Animation

Mohammed Abdullah (Double Aye)

Metamorphosis || Original Animated Thesis Film

“Metamorphosis” is a cryptic 2D frame-by-frame animated short film exploring the sense of belonging in relation to the pressures of adapting to a foreign environment. It's inspired by my personal experiences as an immigrant in Toronto and the pursuit of my own goals in an unfamiliar environment that I am adapting to as my family lives abroad. “Metamorphosis” emphasizes the need to be in a constant pursuit and trying to navigate forward to find your sense of belonging despite the circumstances of an alien environment whilst developing the fictional saga of the character Exeq from previous animations.

““Metamorphosis” is a cryptic 2D frame-by-frame animated short film exploring the sense of belonging in relation to the pressures of adapting to a foreign environment. It discusses the metamorphosis of the self and finding one’s new familiarity, without being lost by having a constant goal to pursue. It follows the main character “Exeq” (Exeque) pursuing a Jasmine petal guiding him away from what he perceives to be a threat trying to corrupt him as he traverses through multiple environments, changing his behavior in the process. “Metamorphosis” infers to the development and the transformation of the individual where unfamiliar pressures one may experience reform their perspective as they continue to move forward. It intends to bring forth our own experiences in the pursuit of finding our place within society and ourselves, unifying us during times of constant change through the feeling of complacency.The animation is inspired from my personal experiences as an immigrant in Toronto and the pursuit of my own goals in an unfamiliar environment that I am adapting to as my family lives abroad. Living in constant pressure of familiarizing myself with a new way of living independently, it feeds into the anxiety where we may never feel contempt. It transforms your demeanor where the things you digest from your environment shifts your life continuously where you begin to question your position in it. Creating a tiring dialogue within your own duality and having a hard time coming to terms with. Even though my parents live in Ras Al Khaimah, U.A.E, they have given me never-ending support that realigned my origins of being a Muslim Indian who grew up in an Arab country. Hence, the choice of the jasmine petal serves a symbolic representation of the purity of an Indian household. It merges with the Emirati (U.A.E citizen) inspired clothing fusing my own identity within this piece where it attempts to recognize the cultural exchange largely present there, where I strongly associate myself.The stylistic approach is heavily influenced by anime as it’s a core identity within my art style growing up. Through analyzing films/series like Paprika, Boruto and anime themed animations made by Riot, it has allowed me to take elements within their workflow to further engage audiences efficiently. The keyframe focused vector animation places a great emphasis in conveying the emotion of the characters through less frames. The backgrounds were based off real life locations by capturing images and painting over them to harmonize the boundary between the fictional and the real world. This anime approach doesn’t only help conceptualize the ideas conveyed to the viewer, but it also helps ground the matters discussed within the film to reflect upon their own reality. Further infused with 3D visuals, it unifies the dimensionality of 2D fiction and reality. This opens the opportunity for the viewer to further envision themselves within the animation and immerse themselves within it. “Metamorphosis” emphasizes the need to be in a constant pursuit and trying to navigate forward to find your sense of belonging despite the circumstances of an alien environment whilst developing the fictional saga of the character Exeq from previous animations.”