Inspiration Behind My Raffy and Friends Easter Drawing

 

This image...  you probably have seen it on my profile pages, whether it's on my Instagram, my Linkedin, or even my Facebook. Today, I wanted to discuss why I chose this image to be the one. A while back, I made this painting for Easter of this year. As a devout Christian and rabbit lover, Easter is my 2nd favorite holiday, after Christmas. 

Every year, Easter brings so much wonder and possibilities to my eyes. In September of last year, in hopes of finding a church community closer to Burbank and the studios, on Sundays I spend around Los Feliz and Burbank, I started attending the Congregational Church of the Chimes in Sherman Oaks, the Congregational Church closest to Burbank in the same NACCC denomination as FCCA (the Congregational Church I have already been attending in Anaheim). Little did I know until I got there that Skip Jones, a veteran Disney & Don Bluth animator, attended there. Ever since my 1st day attending service there, our bond together over animation and the classic Disney studio films has gotten stronger and continues to grow today. This past Easter, I enjoyed attending Easter service and hearing the chorus sing. Easter egg hunts are always very fun for me.

In this drawing I did, on a sunny Easter morning in their home city of Starwood, Raffy the Rabbit, his girlfriend Rosey, and their furry chihuahua, Cary, are collecting eggs to deliver to their friends and family around the city and the movie business. Starwood is inspired by the dreams I have had since 5th grade to move to L.A. to make it big in the animation business. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, my family and I made the drive down to L.A. and Southern California 3 to 4 times a year when I was younger to visit the theme parks like Disneyland, Universal Studios, and LEGOLAND. Every time I drove in L.A., I felt like I was in a "cartoon fantasy" where my favorite characters and objects came to life. Starwood's location is similar location to that of Hollywood and Burbank, California. A lot of the places in Starwood are inspired by real-life places and attractions I have visited around L.A. and Burbank, like Griffith Park, the animation studios in Burbank, Hollywood Burbank Airport, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Feliz Village, Silverlake Reservoir, The Americana at Brand, and much more. In Starwood, anything can come to life, whether it's a human, an anthropomorphic animal, a 4-legged animal, or even the local library building.  Like Hollywood and Burbank, Starwood is home to many film and television studios. 

L.A. has a very special place in my heart. After being inspired by my favorite Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and his pals and finding out Los Feliz and Burbank was where all of this magic started, I knew L.A. and Burbank were the places I call "home" and where I belonged. I love seeing all the palm trees, the vast number of freeways, and the nice sunny weather, especially in the summer. Most of all, I appreciate the diversity of this beautiful place and seeing so many people come from all over the world to follow their dreams. Today, my L.A. animation dream still lives deep within me and is broken up into 2 components:

1. I want to start a successful animation studio and enterprise in the Hollywood-Burbank area. I envision inspiring audiences of all ages, especially children and their families through original characters and storytelling. Compared to the classic Disney cartoons and films, I feel many modern cartoons and films lack the innocence, charm, and good moral lessons that the classic films had. I hope to preserve classic traditional hand-drawn animation and create more charming stories that inspire them and enlighten their hearts while teaching them to clearly differentiate between right and wrong. While keeping traditional hand-drawn animation alive for all Yip Studios animated cartoons and features, I hope to start in the short cartoons area first before expanding to full episodes and feature-length animation. I eventually even wish to expand to theme parks and build my own theme park and resort hotel centered around the Yip Studios characters someday.

2. While I have dreams of creating a successful animation enterprise, I also have dreams of being a dad someday. I hope to start a family in the Hollywood-Burbank area and live here for the rest of my life. I dream of marrying the girl of my dreams and having kids with her someday. Especially in this world dominated by technology, I hope to inspire my wife and kids not only to find their path and dream in life but also to appreciate nature and find inspiration wherever they are. I will make sure to take them to fun places like Griffith Park, Walt Disney's Barn / the L.A. Live Steamers, the L.A. Zoo, Universal Studios, Disneyland, on various studio tours, even the beach on hot summer days, and to many places around the world. Most of all, I dream of being the light of inspiration to my family. I will be my wife and kids' biggest fans and will always be there to support them in every step of the journey, no matter what career or path they end up following.

Well, that sums up my L.A. animation dream for the future. While many uncertainties lie up ahead, I am ready and excited to face the obstacles I encounter. I can't wait to see this dream come to life someday.