Rain boots adorned with frog eyes are reason for bullying in “When Rain Falls,” short animated movie created by Maggie Bacallao.
Frog rain boots, fast dining and a budding romance between ants. What do these topics have in common? They’re all themes in three exciting student projects under development at Miami Dade College’s Miami Animation and Gaming International Complex (MAGIC).
MAGIC students produce animated short films and video games as capstones during their second academic year under the mentorship of industry partners. This year, three students are leading projects ranging from a virtual reality (VR) video game simulating a ventanita restaurant, to a 3D-animated short film about a hungry lizard posing a threat to two unsuspecting ants.
In Lewis Tamayo’s Ventanita, players are immersed in a culinary world familiar to Hispanics in Miami, where you’ll find piping-hot cortaditos being served through a window at restaurants like Versailles. Tasked with making enough money to bring abuelo to the U.S., players fulfill daily orders of dishes like tostones.
“I wanted to simulate to the player that feeling of being put in a situation where you don’t have your family and you’re trying to fix that,” said Tamayo, who is working with mentor animation expert Will Buckley.
In Maggie Bacallao’s 2D-animated short film When Rain Falls, a young girl finds herself bullied for wearing rain boots featuring frog eyes on the front. The story, produced under the guidance of TelevisaUnivision, emphasizes acts of kindness after a bully has a change of heart and apologizes.
“This experience gave me a chance to not only challenge myself as a leader, but also show support and kindness to my team,” she said.
If you’re two ants falling in love while on a picnic, the last thing you want is a hungry lizard looming over you. That’s the premise of Juliana Betances-Rendon’s 3D-animated short film romANTics. Betances-Rendon’s team is being mentored by Disney Jr.’s Drew Tolman.
“I’m grateful to be able to talk to someone who has experience in the industry,” she said.
Article published at the MDC College Forum.
The capstone projects will screen at MAGIC’s Premiere Night on April 24th at 6 PM at the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex for guests only. General audience will be able to watch the premiere at the same day and time streaming on YouTube (link to the YouTube screening will be available on Monday, April 22 2024).
For more information about the MAGIC program at Miami Dade College, please contact us at (305) 237-3560 or magic@mdc.edu