Artist Statement
Animator Introduces Alien as an Autistic Metaphor
I am a senior student from the Pacific Northwest College of Arts (PNCA) going for a BFA in animation. My thesis film, loosely based around my feelings growing up on the Autism spectrum, is about an alien child named Al Ian who attends a school on Earth and has trouble fitting in.
Growing up, I couldn’t find characters in film or television that I could identify with, I want to not only show a character who people on the spectrum can relate to, but also show that people like me are capable of telling compelling stories.
Since I was diagnosed with Autism during middle school, I wondered about why my disability was not represented often in film. After watching Rain Man, I was shocked about how Autism was portrayed, and was offended by Dustin Hoffman’s performance, which made people on the spectrum look emotionless, easily upset over minor issues, and unable to take care of themselves. Hoffman’s character was also defined by a special skill that no one else had, giving audiences the assumption that all people with Autism had a savant trait.
Once I started attending PNCA, I decided that since Rain Man was showcasing a stereotype performed by someone without Autism, I would create a short film that was more politically correct. Drawing on my own experiences and through hiring a child on the spectrum, I aim to center my thesis around an underrepresented group.
Since the Autism spectrum was more diverse than what was shown in Rain Man, I depict Al the alien as being high functioning, but has noticeable signs of Autism. Al rocks slightly when he is nervous or anxious (but not to the point of it looking exaggerated), does not acknowledge people right away, has trouble with reading facial expressions, and a little trouble making eye contact.
The film will be animated using the software “TV Paint” and will be done in the style of the 1950’s UPA cartoons that specialized in limited animation. This means that the character animation will be less fluid and have limited movement. I also hired a composer from Willamette University to do the music in a way that conveys emotion, rather than match the actions on screen. Sound effects are done in classic Hanna Barbara style to give an old school feel to the animation.
While the media is currently improving on the depiction of Autism, I hope that his film will help fill the void in representing individuals like me. So far, I have mostly seen characters with accurate depictions of Autism in preschool shows like Sesame Street and Fancy Nancy. Only recently have noticed shows for older kids with Autistic characters, such as She-Ra, The Ghost and Molly McGee and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. I see my thesis joining these in helping bring a better understanding to an underrepresented group of people.