COINCIDING with the Hungry Ghost Festival, a month-long Chinese celebration honouring the dead, The One Academy has released an animated short film titled Relive.
Produced by Yam-Cha Productions — a group of 39 artists comprising Digital Animation and Illustration (Movie & Game Art) students, the film delves into the concept of the afterlife through mesmerising visuals accompanied by a compelling storyline.
“We were inspired to showcase our culture presented in the form of animation,” said director Jeremy Lim Ting Han.
The scene opens with the protagonist Xiao Bao, a child who finds himself in a dark, unfamiliar place with nothing but an ancient wooden door before him. Xiao Bao hesitantly approaches the door and on the other side, he sees a fierce-looking goddess elegantly waving her hands as she brews a magical tea for a scar-faced man seated across from her. After the man finishes drinking the tea, he crosses a bridge toward a bright light and turns into a wild boar, causing Xiao Bao to panic.
Aware that he is next in line, he attempts to flee but finds himself face-to-face with the goddess at the bridge between life and death. She serves him the tea and as he is about to reluctantly drink it, Xiao Bao sees his past in the reflection, revealing the events that led him there. As the story further unfolds, viewers find out whether he faces the same fate as the man before him, or if he will be rewarded with a new beginning. The story conveys a powerful message on the impact of past actions in the next phase of existence.
“Our story draws from Chinese mythology, particularly the tale of Meng Po, the Goddess of Forgetfulness and keeper of the ‘Meng Po Soup’, which souls must drink in the afterlife,” line producer Yew Hui Jing explained.
“We wanted the location known as Meng Po’s Teahouse to feel otherworldly including the furniture and overall shape,” the team added.
The illustration team behind the visuals researched and drafted multiple designs reflecting ancient Chinese costumes, makeup and props before finalising the characters and environment. Meng Po’s Teahouse was an integral feature of the film, where all the key scenes unfolded. The teahouse’s architecture drew inspiration from traditional Chinese temples, adorned with intricate calligraphy paintings, massive pillars and Xie Shan-style roofs.
As for the digital animation team, bringing the characters and environment to life through 3D modelling, movements and lighting was not easy. The animators behind the film shared the tedious process of planning out the frame-by-frame sequence of the goddess preparing the tea gracefully, the scar-faced man turning into a wild boar, emotions on all the characters and more.
The process behind executing these projects includes character and environment designing, storyboarding, animating, modelling, rigging and more. This hands-on experience during their final year of study allows students to deepen their understanding of their skills and abilities while discovering more specialised roles which they enjoy most.
