Synopsis

A Platypus wants to join the Adventurer’s Guild to be a hero, but some bullies block his way from joining. They decide to trick him, telling him to go slay a dragon and then they’ll allow him in. Receiving his quest, the Platypus scampers off to the mysterious tower to “pay” the dragon. On his journey he comes across 3 dangerous creatures that plan to put an end to him. But by sheer coincidence, he survives and treks on until he reaches the peak of the Dragon’s tower.

"The idea came to me spontaneously one day during summer before our Senior animation class. I thought it was so rediculous, so stupid in fact, that I knew it needed to be made. Our team had an incredibly fun time creating this nonsense and I hope that our viewers can see that. I wouldn't trade this team for the world." - Liz Rivera

Meet the Team

These are all the humans responsible for the making of this film. Most of us wore multiple hats to ensure that every step within preproduction, production, and postproduction met their deadlines. Everyone worked tirelessly to bring this story to fruition. We know not what sleep is, but we have fun here.

Liz Rivera

Director / Producer / Storyboard Artist / Character Designer (Platypus) / 2D Puppet Animator / Lighting

Short About: A Storyboard artist looking to reach out to people with her work, be that joyous laughs or heart-felt sorrow. She has an adorable cat named Lulu, and used to own other critters, including frogs, birds, lizards, and millipedes!

Favorite Pastime: Tending to her critters and playing videogames

Quote: "Be yourself, find some friends, make mistakes, and learn from them!" - Liz Rivera

Ray White

Character Designer (Dragon and Guild Master) / Assistant Producer / Cleanup Artist / Color Script Artist

Short About: A concept artist who wants to one day make a positive impact through animation. Ray has two dogs named Princess and Mitzy that love to go on wagon rides in the park.

Favorite Pastime: Playing games with friends and drawing Quote: "…most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people.” - Neil Gaiman

Andrew Harrison

2D Puppet Rigger / 2D Puppet Animation / Lighting / Voice Actor (Eagle)

Short About: A Floridian digital artist and musician who is very skilled at solving puzzles. He loves all things space related, from star gazing to rocket launches and future planned space exploration.

Favorite Pastime: Strategy video games, escape rooms and puzzle boxes

Quote: “The greatest tragedy for any human being is going through their entire lives believing the only perspective that matters is their own.” - Doug Baldwin

Max Ogunbunmi

2D Puppet Animator / Character Designer (Slime) / Lighting

Short About: An animator/illustrator who loves animation and digital art and loves making illustrations/animations for people to see. He also works really hard to do his best in whatever he puts his mind to.
Favorite Pastime: LOVES playing video games and drawing.

Quote: "Maximum Power" - Max Ogunbunmi

Rogan Bowman

2D Puppet Animator / Character Designer (Croc and Eagle) / Voice Actor (Croc) / Lighting

Short About: An artist who loves to do traditional/digital artwork as well as animation! Loves to mainly post their work on social media like Twitter and Newgrounds! Favorite Pastime: Playing video games and modding games.

Quote: "My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

- Tom Hanks

Debrina Rolley

2D Effects Animator / Character Designer (Golem)

Short About: An artist who does traditional/digital work who wants to tell stories with her work and inspire others. She loves coming up with different character designs, and also has over 100 DS games!

Favorite Pastime: Playing videogames and drawing, mystery shows, and obscure media

Quote: “Nothing will work unless you do.” - Maya Angelou

Michael Crunkleton

2D Effects Animator / 2D Frame-b-frame Animator / Cleanup Artist / Lighting

Short About: A Missourian digital artist who loves animation and drawing 2d effects. He has a deep fascination with the elements, which enforces his love for effects. He loves exploring and drawing what he sees in nature.

Favorite Pastime: drawing and playing video games

Quote: "Expect the unexpected. And whenever possible, be the unexpected." - Jack Dorsey

Yuxuan Ma

2D Frame-by-frame Animator / 2D Effects Animator / Cleanup Artist / Character Designer (Unicorn) / Lighting

Short About: A 2d animator who loves animation and games. She is passionate about creating her own characters. In her spare time, she learns languages of different countries.

Favorite Pastime: Drawing and playing video games with friends

Quote: "Hope is like a path in the countryside. Originally, there is nothing - but as people walk this way again and again, a path appears." - Lu Xun

Rachel Hager

2D Frame-by-frame Animator / Cleanup Artist / Prop Designer

Short About: A New York based artist who lives and breathes art and enjoys utilizing the unlimited power known as creativity. Has a strong fascination in all things history, culture, and cosmic/surreal/psychological horror. Favorite Pastime: Creating characters, worlds, and stories as well as watching shows, movies, and YouTube videos.

Quote: "Inspiration is for amateurs...If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you're not going to make an awful lot of work." - Chuck Close

Audrey Lee

Background and Layout Artist / Compositor

Short About: A girl who pushes through her day so that she can come home and draw fun sketches and play goofy video games.

Favorite Pastime: Sleeping, Eating, Living, Reading, Painting and Sketching

Quote: "I love green tea, chai, boba, and K dramas!" - Audrey Lee

Caitlin O'Toole

Layout Artist

Short About: A young Pittsburgh-based artist that lives and breathes all things storytelling. Her dream is to create nostalgic stories in multiple visual medias including : Animation, chapter books, illustrations, and graphic novels. Has an interest in all things fantastical, otherworldly, decorative, historical reimagined, diverse, and comical.

Favorite Pastime: Creating home videos with friends and siblings where she directed and wore underpants on her head

Quote: "You must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul." - Gusteau, Ratatouille

Sarah Schaible

Sound Supervisor / Sound Designer / Audio Engineer / Mixer

Short About: A sound designer who wants to do it all! She thrives off collaboration and creation, and has accumulated far too many hobbies for the amount of time she has in the day.

Favorite Pastime: Playing video games, writing, drawing, making music, or playing with her kitty, Lumine

Quote: "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." - Toni Morrison

Joshua De Leon

Composer

Short About: A Minnesota based composer who loves all things music, from film & animation to video game soundtracks to classical music, dubstep, and edm. He is an avid philosopher, an amateur astronomer, and a future therapist.

Favorite Pastime: Playing video games, solving logic puzzles, and spending time with his two nieces.

Quote: "Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." - Victor Hugo

Lilian Leme Correa

Sound Effects Editor

Short About: A Sound Designer with too much back pain to want to carry the world on her back but also too stubborn to split the weight of that boom mic and recorder bag. So, she's stuck between a recorder bag and aching back. It's a battle, but let's just say the stubbornness is winning.

Favorite Pastime: Watching videos of people playing games and TikToks of cute animals, and annoying the people she loves with weird selfies or funny gifs she found on the internet.

Quote: "With all of your imperfections, you can do anything you want to do!" ~ Talking Fish from Courage, the Cowardly Dog

Ciara Radwell

Foley Artist / ADR Mixer

Short About: A sound designer who loves all things sound and music, and has a crazy rabbit named Eevee.

Favorite Pastime: Hiking, yoga, making music, also sleeping

Quote: “Love is the bridge between you and everything.” - Rumi