Animation

“Ooops!” is the story of an obsessive-compulsive little girl (Licha) who loves cleanliness.  Her obsessive habit made her “overclean” everything, including her puppy (Firus).  This time she tells her new neighbor (Frida) the story of her little puppy during a tea party with her and some previous victims of her obsession (Licha’s stuffed toys).

This animation is a reflection on how habits and behaviors are unconsciously passed down from parents to children.  I was trying to show how sometimes we may pass on behaviors that do more harm than help without meaning to because we just simply do not know any better or we aren’t aware. The primary story is based on one I heard in Mexico when I was growing up (“Yo tenía pollito – pollito se ensució”), the underlying meaning is based on my life’s experience and observation.

I have much respect for and love of Mexican folk art so I designed this piece in this manner as a way to honor the amazing folk artists of Mexico who spend their entire life perfecting folk art and who sell their amazing work at very low cost in order to survive poverty.  The story takes place in Mexico City (where I was raised).

The story, design, models, textures, rigging, lighting, and animation, entirely made by me in a period of 3 years at the California Institute of the Arts (it was my MFA thesis for Experimental Animation and Integrated Media) with a partial scholarship from the Programa de Apoyo para Estudios en el Extranjero from FONCA (Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes).

Film Festivals & Screenings:

7th Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
Egyptian Theater, Hollywood, CA. 2003.

Ajijic Festival de Cine Internacional, Jalisco, Mexico. 2002.

2002 ANIMAC
Mostra Internacional de Cinema d’Animació de Catalunya, Spain. 2002.

Next Frame Film Festival, Temple University. 2001.

Cineteca Nacional, Mexico, Nov. 2001.

Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, N. Hollywood, CA. 2001.

California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA. 2001.