It may have been the Marvel films or the emergence of the Japanese anime
but one thing is clear is that animated projects are popping everywhere. Even
though animated TV programs and films have been around for ages they have
never been taken that serious across the board. Artist / animator Ziyi Wang grew
up with the likes of Zootopia, Mona, Frozen, Tangled, Gravity Fall, etc. These shows
were her inspiration that touched her heart and motivated her to study the art of animation.
"The things that inspire me to have chosen animation are the fantastic films and
cartoons I grew up with. I had seen many cartoon movies and TV shows in my childhood.
Those cartoons gave me unforgettable memories and made my childhood more colorful."
She would be accepted into the School of Visual Arts Animation program and is
in her third year there. Since being in the program she has discovered the magic
that animation can create. Ziyi enjoys the pre-production part the most. Yet she also
dives into the character design and concept art in the animation making process and
of course the final composite part.
Ziyi has developed many skills on her journey in art like character design, visual
development, Concept art, Compositing, Directing and other mediums. Since her
time at SVA she has produced a few projects of her own. One of her most prized
projects has been the animated film "Heartspace" which was selected nine different
film festivals and has won Best Animated Short Film at the Global Film Festival.
"My Film Heartspace is a 3 min 2D animated film. It's mainly about love and courage.
Heartspace is a space in people's hearts. There are a lot of different kinds of houses
floating in Heartspace. Each house represents different personalities. One day, the
character Iris gets a mental shock in real life, which leads to a catastrophe that
happens in Heartspace. A huge stone crushed the whole Heartspace also destroyed
Iris' inner world. Rankin used his love and power to save Iris and the whole Heartspace.
I created this story to express that even though some people are introverted. It doesn't
mean that they don't have power. One day they will break through their inner barriers
and save the whole world.
Only recently "Heartspace" was in the running at the Winter Film Festival where it was
well received. Zii has also completed another short-animated film "Magic Pear"
3 years ago, which she has yet to enter into a festival but is looking to do that soon.
"Magic Pear" was the first animated short she ever completed. Even before she worked
on these shorts, she created an animated WeChat sticker that garnered 40000 downloads.
For her very first project "Magic Pear" took on a different approach which was more
experimental in nature. It is in black & amp; white rather than in color like "Heartspace" the
whole project was worked on via her IPhone. Ziyi drew the whole animation using only her
finger which that alone is unique. The storyline is more fairy-tale driven between good and
evil. There is the pear, an evil witch, a monster and the kind fairy that saves the pear from
the monster. The pear is really cute and vivid. Again, Ziyi used a bit of herself in the story by
being the voice behind the characters of the little pear, the witch and the narrator.
Currently, Ziyi is working on a short film called "Jiuse Deer" it is based on an ancient Chinese
story based on a Dunhuang mural "The Deer King's Birth". The story is based on humanity
and protection of wildlife. The other project she is working on is entitled "Tag" which has an
interesting theme. It is based on the different tags that are labeled on us and make us different
from each other. Her main goal is to direct a feature film and eventually lock in a position with
animation giants Disney or Pixar. The way she is going so far it is not out of the realm of
possibilities.
https://www.ziyiwangart.com
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