Sminky creator is ‘awful happy’ with new animation show
IT is remarkable, given the huge attention they have received, that the first Sminky animated short, ‘Awful Sad’, was only released in May 2012. Since then, Jason Sullivan’s short cartoons have received 18m hits on YouTube and become an Irish cultural phenomenon. To celebrate this anniversary, there will be a screening of Sullivan’s work, and a question-and-answer session, at the 5th Corona Fastnet Film Festival, in Schull in West Cork, this week.
The internet may bring instant fame, but it doesn’t always bring great riches. “I make some money from online advertising and from merchandise, such as T-Shirts,” he says. “But, really, I am hoping it forms a stepping stone to something more permanent. I have been working for the last two months on a treatment for a new show called ‘Where The Sun Don’t Shine’, with Sidelines Productions. We are now talking to a number of broadcasters and it looks like it will definitely be made.”
For Sullivan, who does the scripting and animation himself, working with a professional company has been fantastic.
“The humour has the same tone, but this show is set in an Irish village, so it features people rather than animals,” he says. “The biggest challenge was to create back stories for the characters.
“Script-writing is a career in itself and, I suppose I am coming in at the deep end. The show also gives me an opportunity to take a pot at subjects like current affairs, if I feel like it. Hopefully, the humour has evolved quite a bit and I think it is really important that I keep it fresh and don’t fall into the trap of repeating myself, but also ensure that the characters are still recognisable.”
When the show goes into production, it will be the culmination of a process that began long before Sminky Shorts. “I had been working on an idea for a show set in an Irish village, for about five years before Sminky, but couldn’t get it over the finish line,” he says. “I was always fine-tuning and reworking it. I would get very fussy over how it looked and about how slick I wanted it to be. I suppose, things have come full circle, and now that I have definite deadlines I have finally got the show close to the finish line.”
It is ironic that the characteristic, childish appearance of Sminky Shorts is an integral part of their appeal; yet, this distinctive look was largely accidental. “The first short I released was ‘Awful Sad’,” he says. “To be honest, I did it largely to practice on the software for this show I was writing, and, as it turned out, the simplicity of the animation became a signature style.”
Sullivan says that animation has come a long way since his childhood days of watching the Cartoon Network. “South Park and The Simpsons are obviously brilliant, but there are a lot of animators doing innovative work,” he says. “Regular Show is designed for kids, but also works for adults; it starts off fairly normal and then goes absolutely mental. Watching people your own age making the breakthrough can make you anxious, but it is also inspiring. All I can do is give it a go; after all, there is nothing to lose.”
* The 5th Corona Fastnet Film Festival in Schull runs from today until Sunday, www.fastnetshortfilmfestival.com
AWFUL SAD
Where it all began. Two old biddies mourn the violent death of a mouse in a trap, and reflect on the cruelty of life. “His whole life ahead of him, ha? A lovely boy. Only trying to get a bit of cheese.”
A fat, culchie rabbit loses patience after his smug estate agent shows him yet more substandard accommodation. “Not a f*****g step-up or nathing....plenty of schtones around the place, and you couldn’t even make a schtep out of one of them, ha? A pure waste of time ....”
A Cork City horse has a panic attack at the thought of the jumping a two-foot puddle. “I can’t do it, I just can’t do it” can now be heard in pubs all over the country.
(YouTube hits, 1,046,380)
An unconventional take on the traditional Cork-Dublin rivalry as two cocks audition in front of two picky hens for an X Factor-type show. Features the immortal line “Seriously, no more people from Cork, ok?....I just can’t be dealing with that now.” Enter Dublin cock, stage left....
A favourite with boy-racers, Tommy the tortoise approaches a bend at high speed and can’t stop. “Christ, he’s clean lifting. Tommy is stone mad for speed.” Predictably, it all ends in tears.
