Kitty Catastrophe!
2025 | Animated Short Film | Directed by SParrow Briggs |
Animated by Dayanara VillelaGaleas, Katie Clark, Monifah
Darsaw, Alannah Duffy, Dayanna Bradshaw, And Caitlyn Gray
Software I Used: Procreate and Toon Boom Harmony
Kitty Catastrophe is a 2D animated short film directed by Sparrow Briggs that follows Fishbowl Jenkins, a strict fish-hybrid salaryman who unexpectedly finds himself caring for an orphaned kitten overnight. As the kitten turns his orderly home upside down, a series of chaotic and comedic mishaps unfold. Through expressive animation and playful storytelling, the film explores the unlikely bond between two complete opposites.
As a member of the production team, I contributed to multiple stages of the animation pipeline, including: Character Turnaround Design, Cleanup Animation, In-Between Animation and Background Design.
Character Design:
Kitty
I created the Kitty character turnaround sheets used throughout production to establish consistent proportions, silhouettes, and design details across all animated sequences.
Following the project's first critique, Kitty's design underwent revisions to better communicate her age and role within the story. I created an alternate design concept based on the critique feedback, which was later refined in collaboration with the director to become the film's final character design. I also suggested replacing the original shirt-and-diaper concept with a onesie to better reinforce Kitty's youthful and playful appearance.
Background Design
I illustrated the background artwork for the film's opening sequence, creating environments that supported the story while maintaining visual consistency with the project's overall style. Special attention was given to composition, color, atmosphere, and readability to ensure the settings complemented the animation and reinforced the film's lighthearted tone.
I also had the opportunity to contribute to the film's worldbuilding by proposing that each home subtly reflect the animal of its resident. This idea helped give the neighborhood a stronger sense of personality and visual charm. One intentional exception is Fishbowl's home. Rather than resembling a fishbowl, the director and I chose a more traditional design to reflect his strict and rigid personality, allowing the environment itself to reinforce his character. As a small easter egg, Kitty's home can be spotted in the distance, identified by its subtle cat-ear roofline.
One of the primary challenges was matching the film's established art style while maintaining accurate perspective and spacing. Because the initial layout had already been approved, I worked within the existing composition rather than redesigning the scene. By making subtle refinements to perspective, proportions, and placement where possible, I improved the overall readability and visual accuracy while preserving the director's original vision.
Animation
I was responsible for cleaning up and refining two animation sequences while also creating in-between drawings to improve motion and ensure smooth performance. This process involved maintaining character consistency, preserving the original acting choices, and producing clean, production-ready animation.
Scene 1 Shot 3
My Role: Clean up, In-Betweens, And Color
(Rough Animation)
Scene 2 Shot1
My Role: Clean Up, In-betweens, Color and added Tail Animation