My Projects

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Ice Rage (W.I.P.)

• A few years ago, I started asking colleagues around me: "Why there's no such a thing like a really fun, twisted, fast paced hockey cartoon in Canada (!?), full of adrenalin, like in real life?.." Everyone gave me a puzzled smile, shrugging and reacting like: "Yeah... actually... That's an interesting question! Well, I don't know!.." Then, I asked a friend of mine the very same question, because he's been really into hockey for many years. He answered: "Well, I don't really know. Unless you do something about it yourself." Hmm... I got challenged. 
• I'd started thinking. A team of bulls showed up in my mind pretty soon. I thought it can be entertaining, a skating bull... I was not sure, though, who would be a good choice to play against the bulls to make it look interesting and funny. Oddly enough, I came up with an idea to put chickens, Free Rangers, against the bulls. The friend of mine told me that it is too weird and somehow... silly. But a few days later, he dug the idea and even came up with a basic rough pass of the story plot and I created designs.
• One chicken should be pretty crazy to fight against a bull. This is how we've got this Crazy Rooster on board, a team leader of the chickens. Well, one can tell that it is impossible for chickens to stand against bulls. Right. But, our Rooster is so passionately crazy and acts faster than thinks, so he has no idea that it is impossible to win over the bulls. And this, actually, gives him a chance. But, oh boy, his passion will be heavily tested under the bulls' raging pressure and other obstacles. 
• Because this story is not just about hockey. It's also about You being You, Your passion to live Your Life and creating an ability, against the odds and challenges, to do what you need to do, when you need to do it.
• The concept has been pitched into the network. So far, we've been receiving lots of very positive feedback from different people, including professionals from the animation industry and hockey officials, i.g. Kelly Hrudey

The Battle For Green Peas Cup

In the tough world of farm hockey no one could survive against the reign of Green Peas Cup Champions, a team of Raging Bulls called the Buffalo Wings. Every other team who tried to stand up to the intimidating “Barn Bullies” had lost badly and was sent to assisted living facility, lousy Pets stores.

However, a little chicken with big dreams named Crazy Rooster was inspired by his love of hockey and was driven by his burning desire to become a Green Peas Cup Champion. To become the Green Peas Cup Champion, Crazy Rooster challenged the Buffalo Wings to compete in a winner takes all battle that would decide the fate of his dream. Along with his best buddies, Crazy Rooster is willing to risk losing the privileges of being a Free Ranging Organic Chicken for the love of the game.

The fierce battle unleashes an amazing sequence of on ice actions and dazzling displays of never before seen hockey skills. There is an electric atmosphere in a brand new Barn, named “MB Place” in honor of the Hockey Legend Jack “The Magic Bean” who, according to a very reliable sources, planted Magic Bean in the center of the ice.

Joining Crazy Rooster in the Ice Rage is a hilarious cast of characters including a heroic team of Free Rangers, a “well done” team of Buffalo Wings, a couple of retired animal rights activists – medical staff – Grey Wolf and Red Fox, a team of veteran officials led by Blind Moles and an excited crowd of wild hard “corned” fans.

WORK IN PROGRESS...

 
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Little Masha
A story about a little girl or... someone who looks a little bit like a girl.

• She wakes up and finds herself in an odd looking world. But, soon she discovers that for others, she actually is an odd looking entity herself. She doesn't know where did she come from. She is very short and looks not like others around her, she is different. Well, she has no hair, to start with... 
• She discovers that she possesses some knowledge about this world.  As well as some skills to survive and navigate herself through the odds.
• She is trying to get herself adjusted to this weird world. At one place she finds some old toys. She picks up a big  broken doll, uses it's hair, makes a wig for herself, then, puts the doll's dress on. And, finally, adapts the doll's name that she was able to read  — "Masha". Later, while playing with an old stick-horse, she finds out that she has some fun "magic touch" capabilities. In her hands, the stick-horse gets powered and Little Masha spends time cheerfully hopping around, meeting different inhabitants and obstacles in the world she finds herself in. Life is full of fun...
• It's been a while since she's here, little by little Masha gets a feeling that there's a special reason why she is here. She needs to figure that out. While getting closer and closer to understanding her goal and destiny, she's not aware yet that there's one who knows everything about her and that one wants to get her back where he thinks she belongs to. What he doesn't know — he is being watched by somebody else...

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Ovi

Alex Ovechkin: a concept animation flick for the latest mobile applications.

Myself and a friend of mine, we came up with this idea to create very small downloadable bubble-headed 3D cartoons of famous NHL hockey players so fans would be able to use them, for example, in their smart cell phones as screen savers etc. We decided to try Alex Ovechkin first. So I did that caricature (see below). 

Later on, there were a sculptor/3D modeler, texturer, rigger and animator involved in this small production which I directed/art-directed. The project's been pitched into the NHL network and currently is being discussed. It turned out this year that Crosby would be a better character to start with, but it's OK. At list we've got a sample. Thanks to everyone involved! Let's keep our fingers crossed.

This one below, it's a figurine concept. We've got an actual test figurine done. I'll get uploaded here later.