Faculty of Art

Experimental Animation

Gabriella Maruta Siqueira

Crayons

Crayons is a 4-minute animated short that travels through memories, showing how the perception of life changes. From childhood to adulthood, this journey is guided by a character recalling their creative expressions from each stage of life, directly relating to how the world gradually lost its colour over time. In the present, protagonist realizes how disconnected she is from her inner child. However, a simple interaction forces them to find once more the colours they thought were lost in the past. The film reflects on how nostalgia idealizes the past and distances us from reality, shaped by today’s troubled times and mass-produced visual culture. The character’s journey contrasts childhood freedom with underlying societal and capitalist pressures that constrain creativity, especially for artists.Using top-down stop motion with props, Crayons makes creative acts like coloring tangible, connecting to memory as an introduction to each stage. The use of 3D environments to represent how life was perceived, evoking the fragility and distortion of nostalgia. Towards the end, 2D animated effects changing the scenario symbolize the character’s regained creative freedom and ultimately agency in how they view life. Crayons invites viewers to reflect on their memories and perceptions, reminding us that joy isn’t stuck in the past.By revisiting expressions from childhood, which at the time felt like exploring and now feels like freedom, the animation allows us to embrace the qualities that we lost as we grew up. In that way, we can keep moving forward, perceiving reality in a differently, leaving the nostalgia lens behind.

“The process of planning the concept and exploring the visuals of this project was personally heartwarming. I had to dive into childhood memories and feelings, talk to family and friends, share thoughts and experiences. It was interesting to see that, even though this film comes from my personal memories growing up in Brasil and later moving to Canada, everyone can relate with it at some level.”