An animator for Pixar, Frank Abney, has made the directorial debut of his first animated short film called Canvas on Netflix. The film, which features expertly and beautifully animated African-American characters, is a story of how a family can overcome grief. He says the film was inspired by the stories of the people around him.
Abney came up with the concept in 2014 and presented it to the studio he was employed at the time. So, after leaving the corporation, he had to wait to receive the film’s rights back. Only two years ago, after five years of development, were fans given a sneak peek, which immediately went viral.
To help the film’s production team raise at least $20,000, he launched a Kickstarter campaign. With an extra 38 backers, it garnered an additional $62,000. Canvas presents a sympathetic, heartwarming tale about a grandfather who is attempting to rediscover his inspiration following a loss.
Abney revealed that he was inspired by a variety of people, including his stoic and reserved grandfather, his mother, who had lost her husband when he was five years old, and his niece, who effortlessly spread joy. To make the award-winning short film Hair Love, Abney collaborated with several authors and artists from three different continents. Abney was also an executive producer on the project.
I’m overwhelmed,” he told the Atlanta Black Star. “We were just working on this in our spare time, and you don’t know where these things are going to go…But I’m just so thankful to be partnering with Netflix and being able to share it with a broad audience. My ultimate goal is that I just want people to be inspired by it and also understand that there are black filmmakers out there.”
