Benny the Yak

So in class one day I just started sketching some animals for fun.  One animal I did was a yak.  He turned out pretty cool, so I decided to see what he would look like in flash.  It was hard to replicate him exactly, but I think it turned out pretty good.  So then I decided to animate him.  I have a rough animation that is pretty good too.  So I decided he needs a story.  I came up with one while I was in class today (Sometimes I have a hard time focusing in class).  It's about this Yak whose name is Benny, and he lives in Antarctica. (Random note:  Yaks actually live in the Himalayas, but for the sake of the story he lives in Antarctica).  He hates the cold.  One day he finds like a national Geographic or something like that, and it is about Africa.  So Benny decides he wants to go to Africa, where it is warm and there are plenty of other animals to play with.  So with the help of a Penguin, and some fish, Benny makes the trip from Antarctica to Africa.  There's a lot more to it but I thought I would spare some detail for now.  My girlfriend Darah and I have discussed making a short animated film about Benny and his journey over J-Term here at Huntington.  If we get done in time we hope to submit it to the Chicago International Children's Film Festival.  (The one we went to a few weeks ago.)  Here is the original sketch of Benny.

Sorry about the quality, I had to use my computer as a camera.  Doesn't work so well.

Here is an image from the Flash animation.

So that's benny.  I have some concept pictures of the other characters, but they are also sketches, so I'll save you the bad quality of my computer's camera again.  If Darah and I decide to go through with making the film, I will probably create a blog specifically for the film, that way everyone can see the progress.  Until then...

Peace, 

Jake