Narrative and Message Inspiration

Princess Mononoke (1997) Mayao Miyazaki

Princess Mononoke
I knew ever since I watched Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke (1997) years ago that I wanted to make a final film kinda like that.  Of course now I see that is no way gonna happen on my own... but I can at least take some  inspiration from it.  It's pro environment message has always been a passion for me and most films set in a natural jungle/forest/woods etc environment always draws me in.  Added with the nature spirits and the mystical feel of nature that is untouched by human hands it's all the recipe I need for my final film.



Fantasia 2000 - Firebird

Fantasia 2000 (1999) Walt Disney

As well as Princess Mononoke I also have always been inspired by Fantasia 2000's (1999) piece 'Firebird'.  I adore the rebirth message and the mother nature spirit, however as much as I love it I also hate it.  I wish I could have worked on that piece!!!  None the less I have always loved the humanized spirit look but of course Disney as always have set a very high standard and therefore I dare not go near redesigning a 'mother nature' spirit.  However I do want a humanized spirit therefore I had to make sure that my swamp/pond creature wouldn't resemble the mother nature spirit in design or movement.  But narrative wise I would like so recreate that feel of a nurturing humanized spirit/creature that has a deep connection with their environment, and also for the audience to connect with them and their home.

Swamp Thing
When I introduced my rough film idea my brother he suggested I take a look at a DC comic written by Alan Moore, 'Swamp Thing'.  The horror series follows a swamp creature, solitude to it's swampy lands and can inhabit and move plant and vegetable matter, and can make it part of his bodily design.  He also has super strength and can accelerate plant growth.  I liked the thought of a misunderstood creature that nourishes and takes care of it's environment.  His design also changes depending on the season, in summer is his fresh and green in winter dead leaves and brown and in spring little flowers bloom around him.  I was more interested by the anatomy, design and behavior of this character rather than the overall story.  I did play around with bits of plant and leaves on my swamp/pond creature but just the pure work of animating all those extra supplemental, and also like the mother nature spirit from Fantasia 2000 I do not want my designs to be too similar to ones that already are established.

Lonesome George, it plucks my heart strings.

Lonesome George
Upon looking at lot's of insect, reptile and amphibian documentaries, I came across Lonesome George, the last of the Galapagos Island's Pinta giant tortoise.  The tragic story of his entire kind being wiped off the planet over a hundred years ago by explorers that toke them upon their ship for meat and exposing their goats to the land that ate all their grass.  Upon being thought then the entire species was extincted someone found George, he's now in a research lab, the last of his kind.  I was so touched by the story, of how delicate a species can be.  George is over 100 years old and may live to be another 50, seeing footage of him just getting on with his day, maybe not even way of his situation as his munches his lettuce.  With this I decided to make my swamp/pond creature in a similar situation, the only one of her kind, but probably not even aware of it, just goes about her day, every day.

Ballad of Nessie (2010)

Ballad Of Nessie
A Disney Short, this 6 min short shows the Lockness Monster but in a completely different light, a kind, big softy creature that is kicked out of her home and tries to find a new one.  Now it's a myth that the lockness monster is the only one of it's kind, so similar to Lonesome George, Nessie lives her days in her content pool with her only company a little rubber duck.  This friendly creature who seems to be perfectly content with being the only one of her kind is the sort of characteristics I want to apply to my character.  When Nessie is kicked out of her home, everyone tells her to chin up and carry on, so she searches for another home but all is either taken or not suitable, it is not until she cries and cries, her tears fill up the valley and when she stops there is a giant moar and her new home.  The concept of moving on and finding something bigger and better is also something I could play with my character's home.


From these four inspirations I have decided to have my story a pro environmental message, have my main character will be nurturing and not a per-say a 'spirit' but more of a creature, that is not the typical horror swamp creature stereotype, as well as making her female. (which I've looked high and low and found no female swamp/pond/lake creatures)  Also to make her the only of her kind, maybe not make this completely a necessary, but just an aspect of my character.