Generally speaking, silent films went out with the "talkie," but one friendly owl is proving that what's old can always be new again. Top Shelf Productions and Sprite Animation Studios are bringing Andy Runton's silent comic star "Owly" to life later this month with the debut of a new animated short at the San Diego Comic-Con.
Based on art and storyboards by Runton, Sprite's 3-D short follows "Owly's" titular hero and his insect companion Wormy through the adventure of an average day in the woods.
"I'm absolutely overjoyed to be working with the entire Sprite team. Over the past months, we've worked very closely to make sure 'Owly' was faithfully translated to 3-D. Every little detail was important to them, and the end result blows me away!" Runton said in a press release.
As a silent comic book, "Owly" relies on non-verbal storytelling, using gestures and what Runton refers to as "pictogram" word balloons to communicate emotion and internal feelings without the use of words. This means Owly gets up to a whole lot less hooting and pellet regurgitating than most of his feathered brethren.
Screenshots from the short reveal a kind of stop motion-meets-CGI aesthetic, with the texture of claymation and the fluidity of 3-D forms. Think Neil Gaiman's "Coraline," with more smiling animals. Also, even though most "Owly" adventures are printed in black and white, the short gives a full-color representation of the "Owly" experience with a palette derived from the series' painted covers.
The short will be playing at the Top Shelf booth during the convention from July 23-26.
Excited to see Top Shelf's quietest bird animated? Will you be checking out the short at Comic-Con? Give a hoot in the comments.
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