2 M 57 S
Director: Madeline Czukar
Just by looking at the thumbnail, you know Beyond the Valley is visually stunning. The film’s classical movement style and heartwarming acting are reminiscent of 30s and 40s cartoons, giving a sense of nostalgia and warmth to this charming story. Everything, including the effects, was created by director Madeline Czukar using paper and pencil as per traditional animation methods. The care and talent that is required to produce classical animation comes through in every shot of this delightful short film.
Created as a final project for Vancouver Film School’s Classical Animation program, Beyond the Valley follows an adorable scarecrow as they explore the world. Czukar cites this story as representing her own journey throughout animation school. “The struggle of trying to achieve my goals on my own was tough,” she says of the film’s story, “but help was all around me even though I didn’t realize it at first.”
As we all enter into uncertain futures and new territories, Beyond the Valley is an enjoyable lesson that reminds us all to look for help when we need it and be unafraid of pursuing the unknown.
