We all have a little Hot Dog Wizard inside of us.
Confused? Allow me to explain:
Throughout our lives, we all, at some time or another, have
feelings of inadequacy stemming from the notion that someone in better than we
are. Personally, as an animator coming from a family that breeds doctors, I
often felt, growing up, that my passions were foolish in the eyes of my peers.
As I have matured as an artist, however, I have come to the realization that
it’s not the fact that I am subpar, but that each person has their own personal
talent that they enact on. For my final animation at MCA, I have decided to
craft a story that speaks to both the inadequacy of my childhood and my
realization of self-worth.
“The Amazing Hot Dog Wizard” presents us with the titular
character, a wizard who can turn any object into a hot dog, whose confidence is
shaken when another more powerful wizard steals the limelight. However, in the
end, the Hot Dog Wizard uses his powers to save the day, and, through this,
rediscovers his self-worth.
By creating a character with a incredible talent and then
dashing that character’s self-confidence before bringing him to his epiphany, I
create a digestible story arc that recreates the arc I personally went through
as an artist. For when my audience
watches the piece, I wanted to create something that’s at once familiar and
fantastic, while simultaneously entertaining. By making an emotion like inadequacy digestible and fun, I
can entertain my audience while still delivering my message.
