WeAnimate 2025-05-07 | wam#0060

Series intro:

Every year, Animation Workshop students who are about to graduate go through a process of pitching films to each other, and then collaborating in teams to make the selected films. These films become the graduation projects of that year’s class, and often form the foundation of a career in the creative industries.

This year’s graduation films run the gamut from playful to heartbreaking, intriguing to horrifying, and showcase a huge range of skills and expertise in all aspects of animated filmmaking. Here are our reactions to the films of the 2025 Animation Workshop graduates.

Part 2:

2D Animation

An education at The Animation Workshop always includes grounding in the fundamentals, teaching traditional animation as well as the latest software and pipelines. Some of the recent graduates chose to focus on films with a more traditional approach, creating contemporary films in a more classic style. 

Books are Made of Trees

Books are Made of Trees is a beautiful short film about the natural world and the inevitability of change. Within a beautiful tree library, characters are faced with considering the past, the future, and what really matters. This richly textured film has a wonderful, hand-made style and classic, relatable story perfect for the young audiences it was written for. Art director Inès Zulianel has designed a fantastic film world that perfectly balances simplicity and detail. The films’ creator and director, Julianna Jakubowska, says:

I was surprised by how the film became a thing of its own. I needed to be honest about my weaknesses and let everyone take ownership of the project. It’s really important (and very difficult) to find a balance between sticking to your original idea, but also being open and flexible. I have learned so much from my teammates’ expertise and insight, but also from their kindness and support. There are many elements in our finished film which I wouldn’t initially have thought of, and I am grateful I got an opportunity to explore and try new things.

Rogue

Rogue is an RPG-inspired adventure, a dark tale of knights and monsters, with an unusual ends-where-it-begins structure that begs rewatching. It’s executed in a more traditional 2D style that works well with the subject matter, with various line and color techniques that add quality and complexity. This film is particularly notable for exceptional storyboarding and camera decisions by Nils Kuhl, making the complex action sequence highly effective, and adding texture and emotion to the rest of the film.

Bliss

Bliss is as much a visual poem as it is a short film. Bliss deals with love, loss, change, and exploration, as the soul of an old woman journeys onward into the afterlife. This calm and dreamlike little film is packed with layers of meaning and metaphor, augmented by the painterly visuals. The animated watercolor texture sequence where a tree branch is transformed into a snake by animation lead Sara Bellafá is an especially nice moment. Director Freya Zohara Sørensen says:

The project is inspired by my own grandmother and women in my life who I associate with warmth and love. After many years of hard work, responsibilities and compromise, I wanted to imagine an afterlife for them where they are safe to follow their curiosity, connect with their surroundings and love unconditionally. I was surprised to discover that it actually felt quite vulnerable to make a very feminine and poetic project. I had an urge to create something that you could watch with your emotions, rather than something that was to be analyzed intellectually. Therefore most of the symbolism is purely intuitive, based on my own interpretation of nature and how it transforms. Still, a lot of the symbolism overlaps with many cultures and religions: for example both the snake and the lotus flower are ancient symbols of rebirth in many different cultures.

Although these films lean on traditional, 2D animation tools and techniques, they could not be more different in terms of look, subject, or tone, showcasing the diversity of art and interests of the students. From violent action to motherly nurturing to children’s stories, this group of students really had the opportunity to grow in a variety of directions, and it shows in this group of films.

Check out the trailer for these projects and all the graduate films here:

The Next Wave Emerges:
Animation Workshop Graduate Showcase

Part 1: Game trailers

The Next Wave Emerges:
Animation Workshop Graduate Showcase

Part 2: Classical animation techniques