New animated short from the ‘ON/OFF’ director is inspired by the 1955 Grand Prix of Argentina, where famed Mercedes Benz F1 driver Juan Manuel Fangio suffered third degree burns in order to win the race; debuts end of March.
Nicolás P.Villarreal () has announced that after five years in production, his latest animated short film, , will release at the end of March.
The film tells the story of a young boy as he is confronted with his future and the decisions he must make to fulfill his destiny.It begs the question, “What if the visions of your future were memories from your past?” is inspired by the 1955 Grand Prix of Argentina, where Mercedes Benz F1 driver Juan Manuel Fangio suffered third degree burns in order to win the race.Presented in three distinct styles, the sequences in the film include: a series in color that is shown chronologically; a series of fluorescent sequences; and a series of black and white sequences shown in reverse order simulating that the life of a F1 race driver is a constant loop of past, present, and future.
The sequences “meet” at the end, when the driver burns his leg.“The film tackles how sometimes we face life-changing decisions,” explained Villarreal.“Decisions you know will hurt, they will be hard, and you know they may even break you, but in your heart and soul you know you must take them.
These decisions are not an option in order to keep moving forward.” He added, “I always admired people that have passion, commitment and effort.They have influenced me with their work ethic and dedication to their craft.People that felt they had a moral duty and almost an ethical obligation with themselves.
Juan Manuel Fangio was one of them.” Both French and Japanese films influenced the short, including works from Hayao Miyazaki, Satoshi Kon, and Katsuhiro Otomo, as well as concepts by August Ferdinand Möbius.“My favorite films, shorts, features, documentaries are the ones that leave me thinking about the content after the fact, questioning my life and or inspiring me,” Villarreal added.“I hope this film does the same with people that work hard with passion and commitment towards a goal that doesn’t feel like an option.” is Villarreal’s fifth animated film and seventh short.
His previous animated short holds the Guinness World Record for most awards won for a short film, with 2,200 international awards.He is the founder of Red Clover Studios and currently is the Executive Director of the Visual Development and 2D Animaton Department at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he graduated with Honors in 2002.
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
Nicolás P.
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