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Voxel
Uses Animo Software to Animate “Mermaid Legend”
MIXCOAC, Mexico, February 10, 2000 -- The "Mermaid Legend,"
a story passed down through Aztec oral traditions, has made
its way to television audiences by way of an animated short
film called "La Sirena Aalamatzin." Voxel, a studio based in
Mixcoac, Mexico, used Cambridge Animation Systems’ Animo software
to create animation for the 26-minute program.
| La
Sirena Aalamatzin |
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on images to see larger view |
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| Animo
2D animation software on an SGI 02 was used to integrate
the hand drawn 2D characters into the 3D background. |
"La
Sirena Aalamatzin" recounts the legend of a mermaid who represents
Mother Nature, and a boy destined to become the sun. The boy’s
father is a fisherman, and the mermaid provides him with a bounty
of fish to feed his family. The father abuses the mermaid’s
generosity, however, by giving fish to his lover. As punishment,
the mermaid orders the fisherman to bring her his boy, whom
she knows will become the sun. The boy’s sister, Luna (the moon),
realizes what is happening and helps her brother to run away.
With the help of animals and an old married couple, the boy
completes his journey and realizes his ultimate destiny.
In September 1999, the program aired on Mexico’s Channel 22.
It was broadcast in Nahuatl, an ancient Aztec language, with
Spanish subtitles. The film was also shown at The Ethnic Film
Festival in Poland and Imagina in Paris.
Voxel used Animo software on a single Silicon Graphics O2 computer
to integrate hand-drawn 2D characters with 3D backgrounds. The
animation replicates the look of "amate," a "naïve" style of
painting still used by Mexican Indians. The entire project was
completed in just five months.
Voxel was formed in 1985 with the goal of using animation techniques
for cultural and educational projects. The company marries the
soul of traditional animation with new computer-animated techniques
to communicate stories about tradition and history. In addition
to cultural projects, Voxel creates animation for independent
producers, industry, documentaries, and television series and
commercials.
The Animo line of products was developed and is marketed exclusively
by Cambridge Animation Systems, with headquarters in Cambridge,
U.K. Animo is the world’s leading 2D professional animation
software, with an installed base of nearly 2,000 seats in more
than 50 countries. It is used for feature films, animated television
series, commercials, games and multimedia development by leading
studios worldwide, including Warner Bros. Feature Animation,
DreamWorks SKG, Nelvana Limited, Pentafour Software, Tape House,
Telemagination, Praxinos, and Colorland.
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