Once Upon a Rabbit Primary Function: Анимационен късометражен филм by Jesseter Wang and Hannah Sun

Once Upon a Rabbit Primary Function: Анимационен късометражен филм by Jesseter Wang and Hannah Sun is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Бронзова награда A' Design Award in Дизайн на филми, видео и анимация Competition Category.

БронзФилми· 2026

Once Upon a Rabbit Primary Function: Анимационен късометражен филм

by Jesseter Wang and Hannah Sun

Бронзова награда A' Design Award Winner in Филми Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Once Upon a Rabbit Primary Function: Анимационен късометражен филм

Book Text: „Once Upon a Rabbit“ е анимационен дизайнерски проект, вдъхновен от културните детайли на Празника на фенерите и визуалните спомени от детството. Творбата изгражда мек, изразителен визуален език чрез съчетание на пространствена форма и усещане за ръчна рисунка, създавайки образи, които изглеждат едновременно структурирани и игриви. Повтарящи се мотиви като заека и танюан, оризовите топчета, служат като визуални котви, докато движението, ритъмът и композицията подчертават атмосферата и приемствеността, което води до цялостно дизайнерско изживяване, вкоренено в топлина, близост и културен отзвук.

The Recognition

About the Бронзова награда A' Design Award

Once Upon a Rabbit Primary Function: Анимационен късометражен филм е носител на Бронзовата награда A' Design Award — високо престижно признание, присъждано на изключителни дизайни, които се отличават с творчество, изобретателност и проницателност. Бронзовите победители са изобилно умели и поразително творчески артефакти, които удостоверяват богатия опит, въображение и находчивост на своите дизайнери. Очаква се Once Upon a Rabbit Primary Function: Анимационен късометражен филм да бъде високо ценен, възхищаван и обичан предмет, забележително професионален и иновативен. Този дизайн, спечелил Бронзовата награда A' Design Award, включва най-добрите практики в изкуството, науката, дизайна и технологиите и е отличен с вниманието си към детайла. Once Upon a Rabbit Primary Function: Анимационен късометражен филм великолепно удовлетворява нуждите, докосва желанията, очарова чувствата и привлича любопитството.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Once Upon a Rabbit is an animated short inspired by childhood memories and subtle cultural details of the Lantern Festival. Guided by the recurring presence of the rabbit and tangyuan (rice balls), the film unfolds as a sequence of connected moments that gradually lead toward a shared table. The piece emphasizes emotional flow and visual association over explicit storytelling, capturing the lively warmth of the Lantern Festival.
Dimensions & Packaging: 16x9 video file
Tags: Animation, Motion Design, Illustration, Culture, Year of Rabbit
Production Technology: The project was produced using a hybrid 3D and 2D animation workflow. Core scenes and motion were created in Cinema 4D, with a focus on modeling and animation. The renders were then composited in Adobe After Effects, where textures, graphic details, and subtle motion accents were added to achieve a cohesive, handcrafted visual quality.
Design Challenge: A key creative challenge was achieving a sense of warmth and human touch within a digitally constructed visual environment. The project sought to avoid a rigid or overly polished appearance by introducing texture, softness, and brush-like qualities into form and motion. Balancing control and imperfection required careful visual restraint, ensuring the imagery remained expressive and inviting while maintaining coherence and clarity throughout the animation.
Research: This project is based on exploratory design research focused on visual expression and cultural memory. The objective was to understand how abstract form, color, and motion could evoke familiarity associated with the Lantern Festival without relying on literal depiction. The research was conducted through visual experimentation, reference studies, and iterative sketching using digital tools. Observations were drawn from personal memory, cultural imagery, and repeated motion tests. The results informed a visual language that balances simplicity and expressiveness, demonstrating how motion design can translate shared cultural atmosphere into an accessible and emotionally resonant visual experience.
Inspiration: Once Upon a Rabbit was inspired by childhood memories and subtle cultural details of the Lantern Festival. The project explores the use of 3D techniques rendered with a 2D sensibility, creating a vivid yet dreamlike visual language reminiscent of childhood doodles. By prioritizing mood, memory, and shared cultural experience over literal representation, the work aims to evoke a sense of warmth and nostalgia through motion.
Project Duration: The project was developed and completed in 2023 as an independent animation project, produced remotely.
Operation Flow: Motion unfolds through a sequence of gentle transformations, where shapes, colors, and motifs transition fluidly between scenes. Visual elements expand, contract, and reorganize to guide attention and create continuity, allowing the design to feel cohesive while maintaining a sense of lightness and rhythm throughout the experience.
Team Members: Jesseter Wang,
Hannah Sun
Image Credits: Direction / Design / Animation: [Jesseter Wang & Hannah Sun]
Music / Sound: [Davis Aguirre]