Statement

Lionel & Huey is a 2D animated film about Huey, a figure of shape and color, who chases after his own linework, Lionel, in an attempt to feel whole again. Lionel can rip the lines off of anything and everything. In doing so he inadvertently turns Huey’s world into a muddied and colorful mess. As someone who deals with anxiety and dissociation, it feels like you suddenly walk away from yourself and it is often a struggle to realign. Additionally, it feels like you can get lost in your own world. I tried to demonstrate this using 2D characters and the many layers it takes to illustrate them, as their line, color, and even shading are different parts of their whole. It is very easy for a seemingly solid and put-together character to become very messy and painterly once separated from one of those layers. My goal is to display dissociation and anxiety, in a way that is distinct from the very dark subject it can be. This film gives me a chance to connect to viewers who deal with dissociation and show them that they are not alone.