Mind-blowing Animated Film by Animation & Illustration Students

“Vow” is a CGI-animated short film produced by OVOL Productions – an assembly of 37 students majoring in Digital Animation and Illustration from The One Academy – as the culmination of their studies in their final year. The film portrays a love defined by sacrifice, showcasing the depths of unconditional devotion. The execution through the team’s mastery of animation techniques and stunning visuals lead to a truly captivating cinematic experience.

This emotional animated short film takes place in Mongolia where the scene opens with the protagonist marrying the love of his life. His soon-to-be wife walks into the beautiful temple adorned in a fur coat embellished with bells and glistening sequins. With little to no dialogue, viewers can witness the depth of the story portrayed through the perfectly executed animated movements and facial expressions of each character.

As the characters exchange rings and seal their vows, a deafening sound echoes outside the temple. The protagonist panics after realising it is an avalanche. Without hesitation, he clutches his wife's hand and sprints towards the church entrance. The wife, sensing she was impeding his speed, releases his hand in a desperate attempt to save him, only to tumble to the ground herself. Before he could reach her, she vanishes beneath the blanket of snow.

Frantically, he digs through the icy mass with raw, trembling hands, refusing to yield to despair. But despite his relentless efforts, he could not find her. Exhausted and on the brink of surrender, he hears a faint tinkling—the bells of her dress. Just as the plot thickens, the story abruptly concludes, leaving the audience with a cliffhanger.

“Our initial direction was for a trailer. I think the open ending makes people more curious and more interested in the world of Vow”, said the head of story, Ng Shu Faye.

She goes on to explain the reason behind choosing Mongolian characters was because they are hardly being represented in the mainstream media. It definitely brought a unique touch to the entire film, from the goddess statue in the temple to their wardrobe and facial features.

When asked how the film was so perfectly executed, the director, Wong Xu Hong simply replied “Our Illustration team painted a texture map for the characters’ faces, and then our modelers used that to add texture to the characters. As for the animation, we exaggerated some of the characters movements, especially during the dramatic scenes.”

The team drew inspiration from the ‘Jibaro’, short film in Love Death and Robots – a Netflix series. They incorporated a similar art style into the visuals and matched the heavily exaggerated animated movements portrayed in the film.

“Working with this many people, we did have occasional miscommunications. But once we found common ground, we were able to work well together and I enjoyed working on this project with my team,” he added.

Wong also noted that the lecturers at The One Academy played a huge role in helping them execute their project. They guided them every step of the way from improving the initial animation flow to constantly giving them feedbacks throughout the animation and modelling stage right up till the editing part where they guided them through working with Visual Effects. He mentioned how thankful he was for their efforts in pushing their team toward producing the best version of the film that exceeded expectations and standards.

Inspired by current times where love seems undervalued, the OVOL Productions team created a story that reinstated the true essence of deep commitment and enduring love. Executed with great technicality and aesthetics that brought every aspect to life, it was indeed a mind-blowing creation from a talented team of artists and animators.

The “Vow” animated short film is available to watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZKrSz_BJdY.

The One Academy is committed to providing the best art education programmes and continues to nurture its students passionately through its “Masters Train Masters” coaching philosophy, which has been practised for over 30 years, by providing diploma and degree courses in Advertising & Graphic Design, Digital Animation, Digital Media Design, Film Visual Effects, Interior Architecture & Design, Illustration, Fine Arts, Paris Fashion Design & Pattern Making, Computer Science & Game Design. For more information, visit www.toa.edu.my or call 03-7875 5510 or e-mail your enquiries to [email protected].