Once Upon a Rabbit Tzin Tlachixtli Ollini by Jesseter Wang and Hannah Sun is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Mahuizolli A' Design Award Bronse in Ixcuecuetzaliztli, Tlachializtlahtolpamitl ihuan Olinia Ixiptlaliztli Tlachihchihualiztli Competition Category.
BronseIxcuecuetzaliztli· 2026
Once Upon a Rabbit Tzin Tlachixtli Ollini
by Jesseter Wang and Hannah Sun
Mahuizolli A' Design Award Bronse Winner in Ixcuecuetzaliztli Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #180467The Design
About Once Upon a Rabbit Tzin Tlachixtli Ollini
Ce Tonalli Tochtli (Once Upon a Rabbit) ca ce tlachihualli tlein ollini tlapohualli, tlein ipan meya inantli tlamachtiliztli itech in ilhuitl tlahuilli (Lantern Festival) ihuan itech in pilconetzin tlachializ ilnamiquiliztli. In tlachihualli quitlalia ce yamanqui, tlahtoltica tlachializ tlahtolli, ica ce nepaniuhtli itech tlacencahualli tlacayotl ihuan mahuiztic tlacuiloliztli, quichihua tlaixmatiliztli tlein monequi tlatecpantli ihuan ahuiltiliztli. Motlanamiqui tlachiuhtli quen in tochtli ihuan Tangyuan, tlaxcaltextli ololtin, motequitiltia quen tlachializ nelhuayotl, in ollini, tlatlamachtiliztli, ihuan tlatecpanaliztli quimahuizoa in ehecayotl ihuan yolcayotl, ica in ce cetiliztli tlachihualli machiliztli tlein monelhuayotia ipan totoniliztli, iximatiliztli, ihuan tlamachtiliztli tzilinaliztli.
The Recognition
About the Mahuizolli A' Design Award Bronse
Once Upon a Rabbit Tzin Tlachixtli Ollini ca in quicuic in Mahuizolli A' Design Award Bronse, hueyi tlamahuizoliztli tlen momaca in cualli tlachihualli in motenehua ipampa yancuic tlamantli, tlamatiliztli ihuan ixtlamatiliztli. In quicuicah Bronse ca tlachihualli in quipia toltecayotl ihuan quinextia in cenca miac nemiliztli ihuan tlamatiliztli intlachihuanime. Ca quinequi in Once Upon a Rabbit Tzin Tlachixtli Ollini ca tlazohtli tlamantli, mahuiztic ihuan cualli. Ni dizayno in quicuic Bronse quipia cualli toltecayotl ihuan quitta in tlen tepiton. Once Upon a Rabbit Tzin Tlachixtli Ollini quipaquiltia in tlacah ihuan quitlamahuiztiltia in intlanequiliz.
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]
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