(Hand-Drawn 2D Animation)
Have you ever wondered why your coffee machine is so slow? Why it makes that grumbling sound when you press the button? Why your coffee always comes out too hot?
If so, you can find your answer in my all-original short – “Java Dragon!” This is my first formal animation, completed using a stop-motion technique developed with digital art programs. My initial inspiration for creating this animation was simply my own coffee machine. I observed the imperfections in how it functioned, and my imaginative began to form a fantastical explanation for them. What if my coffee machine wasn’t totally mechanized? What if my coffee was heated by a small dragon?
This was a perfect idea to animate, and I set to work quickly. In addition to designing an elaborate, moving system inside of my coffee maker, I have humanized my little dragon. He wakes up reluctantly to heat water for coffee, rubbing his little eyes and looking like he’d love a cup himself. I also reward him for his endeavors with a treat, after which he falls back asleep, coffee ready and hot. My hopes for my viewers are that they never look at their coffee machines the same way again!
