For decades, our education system has focused intensively on STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields. STEM fields have brought great prosperity to some and many wonders to us all (I’m looking at you, iPhone).

On the other hand, is our age substantively better?

Some of us are healthier and living longer, to be sure, but life expectancy in the US has dropped. Meanwhile, are we happier, more ethical, more peaceful, more empathic to others, and more fulfilled by those things that humans have always found meaningful (I’m looking at you, love and emotional connection)?

These are important questions in an age of material and computational wonder. At Planet Nutshell, we’ve been working on a new and original web series that we hope can help folks remember and rediscover what makes us human. Degradation of the humanities is a trend that undermines the fabric of society, threatening to transform a nation of citizens into a nation of docile workers and obedient consumers, as the historian Bret C. Devereaux recently argued in the New York Times:

Higher education, with broad study in the liberal arts, is meant to create not merely good workers but also good citizens. Citizens with knowledge of their history and culture are better equipped to lead and participate in a democratic society; learning in many different forms of knowledge teaches the humility necessary to accept other points of view in a pluralistic and increasingly globalized society.

We’re doing our part to restore the humanities as vital part of education. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on. Stay tuned.

Have you heard about Ms. Money? She is a zany, accident-prone, enthusiastic teacher (think Ms. Frizzle) who introduces Kindergarten through 5th graders to financial literacy basics with her students Nick and Penny. They have been touring a live show for years around the Boston area complete with a lot of catchy songs. When we were approached by Rockland Trust Bank, where the real Ms. Money works, we were excited to dive into an animated version of the show.

Research & Moodboard

We familiarized ourselves with Ms. Money’s song catalog, repertoire (check out this video!), and existing assets and honed in on our design style.

Script

During the scripting process we had the idea for a School Supply Fair as the video scenario. Strong character profiles were a big focus: Penny is very careful with her money, Nick gets distracted by shiny, spinning things, and Ms. Money begins the discussion of needs, wants, spending, saving and sharing.

Storyboards

We started to bring the script to life in the Storyboard phase. Here’s where Nick gets distracted by a super cool rocket ship pen.

Animatic

To ensure we had the timing down right before diving into animation we added an Animatic stage to the process. This was extra fun since Sam and Josh got to be voiceover actors along with Ms. Money herself! Sam also did the sound effects and had an especially fun time “voicing” the breaking rocket ship pen. Then we replaced Sam and Josh with the real Nick and Penny and were ready for animation. Here’s a sneak peek at our internal animatic!

Design

For the design we had to get the characters just right as well as the world and the objects for sale at the School Supply Fair. We did some research on the YouTube to pinpoint what 5th and 6th graders wear these days (yes, this made us feel old) and saw a lot of oversized t-shirts, pajama pants, leggings and skinny jeans.

Here are some character designs and style frames– see how we snuck in an easter egg of the Planet Nutshell logo? 

Animation

We added in the full sound design and music and brought Ms. Money’s world to life!

Localization

We were also tasked with creating a Spanish version so we translated the script, recorded the new voiceover, re-timed the animation and updated the on-screen text to Spanish. Tada!

While we were at it, we were also asked to translate the songs into Spanish as well and we worked with the incredibly talented Amador Bilingual Voiceovers to deliver these super fun renditions in Spanish. Take a listen!

Can’t get enough Ms. Money? Head on over to her classroom! 

We’ve been patient. You’ve been patient. And now, Azúcar is finally coming to the big screen! 

We’re excited to announce that Azúcar will premiere at the Socially Relevant Film Festival New York. Now in its 10th year, and with thousands of attendees, SRFF is the perfect venue for Azúcar, with films from around the world that promote awareness of social issues. 

The festival kicks off on March 16th, with a red carpet and reception at Lincoln Center. Azúcar will headline a collection of shorts on March 18th at 1PM at the Cinema Village in Midtown, followed by a Q&A with us, the filmmakers. You can purchase tickets to the festival and events at FilmFreeway.

If you’re in the area, we would love to see you, and the organizers of SRFF would love your support. Early-bird tickets are available for a limited time. 

And if you can’t make it to NYC, we’ve also been selected for the LA Latinx Film Festival. We’ll have more details on that soon…

What is Azúcar?

Azúcar is an animated short film about a boy and his mother. 

Ana and Marcelo have traveled 1500 miles from Honduras to the U.S. border. Tonight is the night they will attempt to cross the Rio Grande.

During the crossing we will learn why they have come so far, and endured so much, to get here. We will also see them face their greatest challenge of the journey.

Ana and Marcelo arrive at the riverbank carrying little more than hope, resilience, and a few packets of sugar—azúcar—to keep them going. But will their hope and resilience survive the night? 

Azúcar was made with the generous support of executive producer George Bard. The Planet Nutshell team worked on the story, design, and animation in-between client work during the pandemic. The story is based on interviews, as well as the personal experiences of our art director, Jen Sanchez, whose family is from Colombia. 

Why Did We Make Azúcar, and What’s Next?

Azúcar is essentially a proof of concept. We wanted to prove to ourselves, and to our audience, that we could make a narrative short that tells an authentic, impactful story. If you know us, then you know that every frame is drawn with our hearts, and our personal stories. 

Azúcar is the first episode of a series of stories about human migration around the globe. In this time of war and climate change, people are on the move in unprecedented numbers. The movement of humans is challenging our ideas of national and ethnic identity, as well as our faith in, and adherence to, the notions democracy and freedom. 

The ultimate goal is to create stories that reveal our shared humanity, and thereby move us all to a better place.

If you’d like to join us in our efforts and support this series, please contact us.