Facing the impossible task of blooming without breaking.
Aril, all mind, seeks freedom from the chaos of the living. Root, all heart, longs to feel everything. Slam-dunked into the shape of a haunted tree, they must learn how to fall back in love — with life, with self — while watching over a mourning family they know too well.
A tender meditation on the quiet battle between intellect and intimacy — the mind’s need to retreat, and the heart’s need to reach out.
Made in blender
Aril is a fully independent, 90–100 minute animated feature — currently in preproduction, with all visuals created in Blender.
I’m sculpting assets, building the world, and refining the budget one step at a time. This autumn, I’ll be at the Blender Conference to share the journey and connect with others bringing stories to life.
1980
I’m four years old.
I know, that if I leave behind my stupid, cancer might-relapse meat-sack of a body-costume and return to Eternalmoor, I will not see my soon-to-be little sister grow up.
I pull from Blackbird’s ink, sharing my musings only with him. I write about Aril, and her tangled thoughts. I write about Root, and her curious heart. They both live inside me, debating.
This movie is born from those musings — a tender meditation on the elusive somethingness called: meaning.
/The Storyteller
Devlogs on youtube
Go behind the scenes of Aril‘s preproduction. Follow the sculpting of assets, budgeting decisions, project management tricks, creative struggles, and the occasional epiphany. Raw, real, and hopefully useful — especially if you’re building something weird and ambitious too.