CSE 456 - Assignment #2 Stories

1) Once upon a time there was a chef who loved fireworks.
2) He would cook meals for his friends and impress them by incorporating fireworks into the meals.
3) One year, his friends convinced him to hold a 4th of July Barbeque for everyone.
4) To prepare for the barbeque he stocked up and filled his house with food and fireworks, intending to impress everyone there.
5) The day of the barbeque, each person said that the dishes that had come before were nice, but that the next should be even more exciting. Having stockpiled plenty, the chef obliged and kept making each dish more spectacular.
6) Finally, he made one too big, and stray sparks lit the stockpiled fireworks, and sent his house rocketing off into the distance.
7) Ever since, he has been careful to use black powder in moderation in his recipies.

This story takes place in modern times in an average American town. The chef overcomes his own need to always impress those around him. This should be presented as an animated film because it is easier to make spectacular food fireworks in an animated medium. Also, having the chef's house blow up in an animated film is funny, where-as in a live action film it would tend towards being more sad. This story illustrates how even good things should be taken in moderation, and important message for the over-eating, super-disposable modern American life.

1) Once upon a time there was an iguana who lived in a park in Florida.
2) All was not easy for this iguana, because sometimes it was just a tad too cold in the park. Also, the iguana was afraid of dogs, and would run up a tree anytime one came by.
3) One day a man came by and captured the iguana to take home as a second pet in addition to the dog he already had at home. 4) Afraid of the dog, the iguana would climb anything it could in the house to get up high.
5) Upset about all of the things the iguana was knocking down, the owner left the iguana's food down on the ground.
6) Eventually, the iguana snuck down to eat the food, and satisfied, fell asleep there. While the iguana was sleeping, the dog came by and curled up next to the lizard.
7) The iguana found the dog so warm and comfortable to sleep with, that ever since the iguana will seek out the dog for companionship instead of running away.

This story takes place in Florida in the early 1910s when Tarzan was published. By overcoming its fear of dogs, the iguana finds a good home with a warm place to sleep. This should be presented as an animated film because iguanas are near impossible to train. This is an important story to tell because it shows that the world is not always as scary as it seems.

1) Once upon a time there was a wizard who lived in the forest.
2) He would use his magic to torment woodland creatures.
3) One day he was going to shrink a frog, but it jumped out of the way. The magic reflected off the pool and shrunk the wizard instead.
4) As the wizard shrunk, his clothes did not, and the wand fell in his robe pocket, out of his reach.
5) He went around the forest, looking for help to reach the wand, but those he tormented were glad he couldn't reach his wand anymore.
6) Eventually, he found some animals who were nice enough to help him despite tormenting them. They helped him reach his wand and change back.
7) Ever since, he has use his magic to help the animals instead of torment them.

Armature: Be nice to those around you, you never know when you may need their help.

This story takes place in Medieval times in an enchanted forest. The main character must overcome his own past cruelty, and his new-found reduced stature. This story is best served by an animated medium, as animation lends itself better to magic and anthropomorphized animals. This story is important because it can help remind people that even when you have power, it's important to make friends instead of enemies.

The story happens in the beautiful park. The scene will be in the morning and at night.

The main character has low profile, kind, and not arrogant. At first, no one wants to play with her because of her wing's pattern. However, after she becomes the “hero” in that park, every one apologize and play with her.

This story should be presented as an animated film so that we can visualize the butterfly heroic action. It is important to be told because this story encourage some people who has no confident in them selves to think that there's should good sides of them. Moreover, they probably have an important role in other people’s life.

1) Once upon a time there was a smart aleck guy called John.
2) And every day he put the money he had been saved in a drawer.
3) Until one day he had saved 300,000 dollars.
4) And because of this, he dug a hole in his back yard in the evening and put all the money in it.
5) And because of this, he wrote a note on the wall saying that “There is no 300,000 dollars here” to prevent people from noticing the hole.
6) Until finally his neighbor Mr. Steal noticed the note and stole all the money in the hole.
7) And ever since that day Mr. Steal became rich and John lost his 300,000 dollars.

Armature: Never try to prove something that nobody doubts.

This is a virtual story set in a common neighborhood. It happened when banking was not popular. The obstacle for John is to find a safe place to put his money. He does find one, but he is too smart to leave a note on the wall, telling people that there is money here. This story should be presented as an animated film because it is entertaining and educational. This story should be told because it demonstrates the idea that it is stupid to prove something that nobody doubts.

1) Once upon a time there was a boy who disrespected all authority.
2) And every day he would sneer and insult anyone older than him, even his parents.
3) Until one day, the community could not stand his behavior anymore and cast him out of town.
4) And because of this the boy had a very difficult time trying to get food or toys to play with.
5) And because of this the boy realized how much he took for granted and planned on how to make it up to the community.
6) Until finally he went back to his town and, without a word, performed all types of acts of kindness to everyone and sincerely apologized to his parents.
7) And ever since that day, the boy was the most courteous and helpful child in the whole community.

The setting for this story is in the modern day and will begin in a small community town where most everyone knows one another. But as the story progresses and the child is cast out, we go to various locations such as the open country, forests, and the big city where most people are too busy to help the boy. The main character is the boy and his obstacle is trying to survive when cast out. He at first tries to survive on his own, but he realizes his only way to overcome the obstacle is to change his behavior, which he eventually does.

I believe that a story like this needs to be told today because this is a problem that is very real in society and seems to be getting worse. There are even TV shows taking advantage of the situation where children have become wild and untamable. Animation is a good way to produce such a film for a few reasons. First, it will enable the film to reach the younger generation, to whom the main lesson is aimed. I believe that more children, both young and old, would be willing to watch such a clip with their parents. Second, it allows the story to take one more imaginative scenarios when the boy is cast out without making it frightening.

1) Once upon a time there was a who spent nearly all his time at work.
2) And every day he would start work at 4 AM in the morning and leave no earlier than 9 PM at night.
3) Until one day, his work area came to live and actually communicated and interacted with the man.
4) And because of this the man was able to do all sorts of tasks and it seemed to his colleagues that his work completes itself, which was not necessarily false.
5) And because of this the man started living at work, and his work took more and more control of him each day.
6) Until finally, the man looked in the mirror and realized how drawn he had become and why his colleagues all kept their distance.
7) And ever since that day, the man has strictly limited the amount of work he does, spending more time with people and made sure to never return to his old workstation.

The setting for this story is within an office building in the current time. I believe that this story can be placed in various time periods, but tell of the same issue, because of the timeless nature of the problem at heart. Many of the scenes would take place right in the workstation of the worker. This story's main character, the worker, has two main obstacles which he must overcome. The first is to recognize the consuming nature of work. The second is how to escape the clutches of work. He overcomes both of them when reality strikes when he sees himself in the mirror. This will spur him to rid himself of the clutches of work.

I believe this is a story that needs to be told today because in our society, and it could happen in many other times and societies, people become consumed with work and it dominates and even controls their life. They will neglect families and friends to finish their work or get promoted. Animation could add to the story by allowing the imagination to flow free with bringing a workplace to life and giving it human qualities. For example, we can bring "consuming work" to life by making the work place literally grab the man and put him into a cabinet which is a "mouth" when he tries to flee. Furthermore, what animation gives us is when we create images like the example before, we can do so in a non-threatening and playful, cartoonish manner; avoiding turning the film into a horror clip.

1) Once upon a time an old dirty lump of clay sat in an artist's tool box along with many other supplies.
2) And every day the artist would take out an item, other than the lump of clay, for use in his work.
3) Until one day, the artist pushed aside many of the items in the box and took out the dirty lump of clay from the box.
4) And because of this, the clay, delighted to be used, was cleaned and the artist began to mold it.
5) And because of this the clay took on the form of a beautiful face.
6) Until finally, the artist used the clay as the final piece of a sculpture he began years before.
7) And ever since that day the sculpture stands in a museum with the, formerly, old, dirty clay now as the image of the artist's very own son who he had died.

The setting for the story is set in the late 1900's or early 2000's, not a futuristic time, but also recent enough for there to be museums that an audience would recognize as a museum. The scene will begin in the artist's box with all the various tools the artist has. But then, when the artist takes out the lump of clay, we move to the artist's work table where the hands of the artist mold and shape the clay. Finally we end with a scene where we are in a museum with people admiring the sculpture. Our main character in this story is the lump of clay. Its obstacle is its need to become needed and valued. It is unable to overcome this on its own, but with the help of the artist/potter it breaks free of the restraints of inadequacy.

This is meant as a motivational story and to teach about how though things may seem worthless or, more importantly, people may seem hopeless, there is hope for them. People are success-driven by nature. They attempt to find worth by being successful, and even then they do not find it, leaving them with low self-esteem. Healthy self-esteem is something that is very lacking in the world and I believe it is important to tell stories that will encourage people to not lose hope. Just as the potter was able to mold the clay into something useful and admirable, a story like this could start the same process in others. I believe animation would be best for creating such a film clip because it allows a creator and viewer to give life to an inanimate object (the clay) and believe it has feelings. We can even make the clay move a little without it jarring a viewer as out of place. In live action, when a person sees a lump of clay, usually a person sees only a lump of clay. It is hard to attribute new qualities to something we are already too familiar with being inanimate.

1) Once upon a time there was a little girl named Camille who had a favorite stuffed rabbit named Peter.
2) And every day Camille would take Peter everywhere that she went.
3) Until one night, when it was time for Camille to go to bed, she could not find Peter everywhere.
4) And because of this, she woke up early the next morning to look for him outside where they were swinging the day before.
5) And because of this, she found her dogs were playing with Peter and had eaten both of his ears.
6) Until finally, Camille chased the dogs until she could grab Peter from them.
7) And ever since that day, Peter's ears were a different color because Camille's mother had to sew him a new pair.

This animation, aimed primarily at young children, takes place at a small house in the forest somewhere in the Northwest. The time period could be anytime in the past fifty years or so, although most children will assume that it takes place in the present. The main obstacle in this story is that Camille has lost her favorite stuffed animal, her most beloved possession. In order to find her rabbit, Camille takes action, finding it herself, and rescuing him from her dogs. The second obstacle is that Peter's ears are missing, which Camille is very upset about. This is remedied by her mother, who sews him new ears.

This story would best be told in animated form, because it is a very child-friendly format and sometimes when characters are more abstract, it is easier for the audience to relate to them. This story could have a wide audience because so many children relate to having a favorite toy and what it feels like to lose it. It is a satisfying story because the conflict is solved, through the actions of the child, but also with the help of a parent, which is comforting to many children.

1) Once upon a time, Granny came to visit her grandsons, George and David.
2) And every day Granny would take them to play at the beach.
3) Until one day, when it was time to go home, Granny noticed that she had left her favorite hat far far away.
4) And because of this, Granny said, "I'm too slow and old to go get it. Will one of you run down the beach and fetch it for me?"
5) And because of this, Fred stayed very quiet and George said, "My eyes don't work."
6) Until finally, Granny said, I will give whoever can find it will get a dollar and suddenly, Fred's eyes got very big and he asked, "You mean a sand dollar?" When he heard that it was for money, he ran so fast it seemed that he was the fastest boy in the world.
7) And ever since that day, Granny was very glad because she had her favorite hat and Fred used his dollar to buy an icecream cone.

Messages: The benefits of being both the employer and the employed. Also, help your grandma out.

This humorous animation occurs at the beach on the east coast during the summer, aimed at children and families. The obstacle that must be overcome is convincing the grandchildren to get the favorite hat. The obstacle is overcome when Granny resorts to bribery and Fred's running skills are put to use.

It would be best told in an animated format, because the characters' personalities can be better expressed through exaggerated movement and expressions. Adults and children will be able to relate to reluctant children and the grandmother. The finished product would be a simple, easily accessible piece, with the intention of entertainment.

1) Once upon a time, there was a manatee named Megan, who lived off the coast of Florida.
2) And every day, she would swim through the warm sea, looking for delicious weeds and algae to eat.
3) Until one day, Megan heard a strange noise in the water.
4) And because of this, Megan described the noise to her parents, who told her that it was probably a motor boat and that she should stay far, far, away because it is dangerous.
5) And because of this, Megan was still very curious, and decided not to listen and to go back to the area she had heard the strange sound in.
6) Until finally, as she neared the area, she ran into a wise, old manatee with one flipper, who told her the story of when he was younger and got too close to a motor boat.
7) And ever since that day, Megan stayed far away from motor boat sounds.

Messages: Listen to your parents when they are worried about your safety. Also, the negative affects humans actions can have on nature.

This animation takes place underwater, off the coast of Florida. The time that this takes place is unknown and not especially relevant, although it is definitely after the invention of motor boats. The obstacles for the main character character to overcome are unsafe curiosity, her struggle with authority, and making wise decisions. With the help of another character, Megan is able to see that sometimes children must take adult's words as truth without finding out the truth themselves.

This story should be told because it educates children about manatees while also having a message about listening to authority figures, especially when it is a matter of safety. Information about manatees can be incorporated into the story as an educational component, including the many ways that people and technology affect manatees, and get people to see how humans' actions have consequences for other forms of life.

This story happens during the day in a neighborhood with birdfeeders and a junkyard. The obstacle of for the squirrel Ned, is that he's too short to reach the birdfeeders. He tries to overcome this obstacle by making gadgets in the junkyard to help him get to the birdfeeders, and in the process gains the ability to shoot laser beams out of his eyes to shoot down the birdfeeders. This story should be presented as an animation film because through animation the unreal componants of the story can be visualized, such as a giant green squirrel with laser beams shooting out of it's eyes or a squirrel making tools to access birdfeeders.

It is important that my story be told to make people aware of wild animals digging through trash cans, and think about why the animals resort to trash cans. It happens a lot and can be seen everyday on the UW campus with squirrels and raccoons and the open ended trashcans. Perhaps the reason is that they need some type of birdfeeder of their own so they'll have a safer cleaner way to gain food.

1) Once upon a time there was a dragon named Fred.
2) And every day Fred tried to burn down a village.
3) Until one day he stumbled across a child holding an ice cream cone, who dropped it and ran away in fear.
4) And because of this Fred came to know the taste of ice cream and became addicted to ice cream.
5) And because of this Fred threatened the villages to bring him truckloads of ice cream or he'd burn down the village.
6) Until finally he couldn't blow fire because his tummy was full of ice, and had brain freeze from eating too much ice cream.
7) And ever since that day Fred worked at the ice cream store in the village to pay for all the trouble he had caused.

This story happens during a fusion time period of medieval with modern. It is medieval with the dragon burning down a village componant, but modern with the ice cream componant. The obstacle is more for the village, which is that Fred tries to burn them down every day. It is overcome by ice cream! This story should be presented as an animation film because dragons don't exist in real life and dragons and their actions can only be represented through visuals. Animating this story will also draw out a lot more emotion such as fear of the villagers or the expression on Fred's face when he finds that he can't blow fire from eating too much ice cream.

It is important that my story be told because it has a moral that you have to take responsibility for your actions. The dragon has to work to fix all the things he has burned down once he can't cause anymore trouble. The story tells this in a comic funny way that is easy to approach by an audience of all ages. It uses a type of food that people around the world love, and eating too much ice cream and getting brain freeze is something everyone can relate to.

1) Once upon a time there was a boy named Ted that lived by the ocean.
2) And every day Ted would make a sand castle.
3) Until one day a girl named Sally came to make a sand castle bigger than Ted's castle.
4) And because of this they started to compete by making bigger and bigger castles.
5) And because of this they started bringing stools and ladders to stand on to make even bigger castles.
6) Until finally Ted accidentally fell into his sand castle bringing it tumbling down, and Sally fell into hers while laughing at Ted by losing balance.
7) And ever since that day they started to expand their sand castles sideways until they covered the entire beach.

This story happens during a sunny summer on the beach. The obstacle for Ted is that he has a competitor in making bigger and better sand castles. The pressure begins when the castles are taller than they can reach and have to use ladders. This is resolved when they both fall into their castles and have to start over again, and they figure it's a bad idea to make sand castles that high. The twist is that the competition does not stop but changes into a widespread castles instead of taller ones.

It is important that my story be told because it contains childhood memories of making sand castles and then the fall of the sand castle which is a tragic moment that everyone can relate to. Sometimes sand castles or dreams of any type are stepped on by other people or come to a fall on it's own. This story shows that it can be overcome by choosing a different method or path to pursue dreams or making sand castles.

1) Once upon a time there was a fish who longed to be apart of the school.
2) Everyday, the fish would swim closer and closer to the school, but swim away for fear of rejection.
3) One day, a fish from the school saw the loner fish, and decided to invite him into the school.
4) a shiny object caught the schools eye, and thinking it was food they all swam to the shiny object.
5) The lonely fish felt uneasy about going to this object, and once again became lonely.
6) The shiny object actually turned out to be a giant angler fish that devoured the whole school.
7) Hearing about the sad news, the lonely fish realized that it was good that he followed his gut.

Armature: Don't always follow the crowd.

The set for this story is in the deep ocean. The main character struggles with loneliness, and the wish to conform to what is around him. For a brief moment, the fish overcomes his loneliness because he is invited into the other group. This film would be perfect for an animated clip because the angler fish would be better represented as extreme. This story to teach children that copying other children, or having whatever others have is not always good.

A Monster and His Pet

1) Once upon a time there was a monster who had a pet duck.
2) everyday the monster would love and play with his pet.
3) One day, the monster received a bright red ball as a gift.
4) Infatuated with the ball, the monster forgot his pet and did not love and care for it as he did before.
5) Overcome with loneliness, the duck wandered off to find a new master.
6) When he realized that his pet was gone, the monster was overcome with sorrow. The monster wandered around to find his pet swimming alone in a lake.
7) Ever since then, the monster realized just how much his duck meant to him.

Armature: You don't know how good you have it until it's gone.

The set for this story is in the woodlands. The main character has the obstacle of realizing the "value" of his pet duck. This story would have to be represented as a animation because the main character is a monster. This story is important to share, to teach children to appreciate what they have.

1) Once upon a time there was a tree without leaves.
2) And every day the beating sun burned his skin, and the howling wind chilled his core.
3) Until one day the tree had had enough and tried to put an end to his suffering. So on a path where many humans walk, he leaned over as far as he could, and scratched into the dirt, 'no leaves. hurts me. want them. help!' and drew an arrow right up to his trunk.
4) And because of this the townspeople saw that their path was gouged up and looked like crap, and an arrow pointing to a very guilty looking tree with muddied limbs.
5) And because of this they thought it was an evil demon, so they chopped it down and turned it into lumber.
6) Until finally the tree who suffered so much in the burning sun and the howling wind was turned into firewood, paper umbrellas, kites, and windsocks.
7) And ever since that day he spent the rest of his life in a million pieces screaming a million screams of the worst agony, and his family heard him and mourned till the end of their lives. But the people had a great time in the sun, and with their kites and campfires. And windsocks.

Support Paragraph: The story takes place in some unnamed town, in modern or near-modern times. The obstacle for the tree to overcome is his suffering resulting from having no leaves to protect him from the elements. This story should be presented as an animated film because trees don't normally do things like write on the ground, and what action there is (people being horrified of the tree, chopping it down, playing with kites and what not) can be exaggerated and made humorous with the proper animations. This story should be told because it's funny and ironic and has a brave, anti-tree message.