EXCLUSIVE: We talk to David Vandervoort about ‘Pinched’ from Titmouse

 

John Blabber: Who are you and where are you from??

David Vandervoort: I am a 2D animator and I grew up in Portland, Oregon.

How did you get into animation?

I was always a huge fan of Disney animation, and I started making flipbooks when I was 10 years old. I continued to teach myself the craft of animation using the “Illusion of life” and Preston Blair books. After high school I applied to CalArts but did not get accepted. That summer, I found a job in Portland working for a CD-ROM company called Media Workshop, and from there started the slow process of building an animation reel.

For those who have never heard of the short, what is Pinched about?

‘Pinched’ is a story about a pickpocket whose inner demons command his every action, until fate affords him the chance to redeem himself and reconnect with a long-lost love.

How did the concept of the short come about?

For several years I was tossing ideas around in my head about a pickpocket and a chase scene, but had nothing further as a larger story to hang that concept on. In 2003 I met my wife and I think that triggered the idea to use a love story as a foil for redemption, and the whole concept solidified when a friend, Micke Tong, suggested I add a demon taskmaster.

What are some of your inspirations in creating an animated piece and growing up what were some of your favorite shows, animated or otherwise?

As I mentioned above, I used to love all things Disney, but I was also very into Warner Brothers cartoons, and even Don Bluth. My guilty pleasure was watching Tiny Toons every day after school. I was also obsessed with MAD magazine; the art of Mort Drucker and Jack Davis in particular. After I started working in animation, I became aware of such greats as Robert Valley, Jamie Hewlett, and Mike Mignola, who blew me away with how they combined cartoon aesthetics with mature content to create a stylized realism.

Do you have plans for other animated shorts and what else are you working on?

Given the difficulty that ‘Pinched’ had on the festival circuit, my appetite for making another short has diminished somewhat, but I love the short film format. Currently I am working on Laika’s next stop-motion feature, ‘The Boxtrolls’, coming out September 26, 2014.

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