Fireman Sam – Series 13

The series follows the story of 17-year-old Canadian high school outcast Josh Wheeler, who is searching for his missing British girlfriend Sam Dean in post-apocalyptic Glendale, California. He is joined by a ragtag group of misfits, including 10-year-old pyromaniac Angelica and Josh’s former high school bully Wesley, who is now a pacifist would-be samurai. Josh tries to survive among the hordes of Mad Max-style gangs (evil jocks, cheerleaders turned Amazonian warriors, etc), adults who have turned into zombie-like creatures called Ghoulies, and the mysterious Baron Triumph.

Source: Wikipedia

When I returned to Hydraulx after a brief pause between contracts in 2019, I had the opportunity to work on a project that would challenge me beyond anything I had done so far.

Daybreak had three different creatures: The giant mutant pug, the four-winged crow, and our lovely multiple-eyed squirrel. As usual, we started with cycles and animation tests to understand how those creatures would move in real life. Each one presented their challenges, but that is part of the fun. Besides those creatures, we had numerous assets to animate in the show, a few digital doubles, and roto animation on a few shots.

This project was a game-changer for me. Working on a show like this, having so many responsibilities, taught me how to troubleshoot many issues and polish my animation better and faster. Overall, I had a great time working on this one, and it’s worth the watch.