Some stories are difficult to tell. Others are impossible not to. "Where Are You Now?" is an original animated short film inspired by the personal experience of our Founder/Creative Director, Matt Vojacek, and his family, exploring grief through a child's hopeful imagination.
In 2018, Matt and his wife Megan lost their newborn daughter, Madeleine, just ten days after she was born. In the weeks that followed, they noticed something remarkable about how their young sons experienced grief. Children don't always process loss the way adults do. They ask direct questions, imagine possibilities, and hold on to hope in ways we sometimes forget how to.
One day, their son, Benjamin, decided to write Madeleine a letter and send it to her on a balloon. He knew he might never receive an answer. But that didn't stop him from hoping. That small moment became the inspiration for Where Are You Now?
Sometimes the simplest questions carry the biggest emotions. Rather than telling a story about grief from an adult's perspective, we explored what loss might look and feel like through the imagination of a child. A world where the impossible feels possible, where sadness and wonder can exist together, and where hope doesn't need an explanation.
The film became an exploration of the emotions surrounding loss, but also the love and optimism that remain.
Animation gave us the freedom to tell this story in a way live action couldn't. We developed a hand-drawn visual style guided by two words: surreal and playful.
Through expressive illustration, thoughtful pacing, and intentional use of color, we created a world that could shift between sadness, wonder, and hope.
Every creative decision was made with one question in mind: How do we want people to feel? Rather than explaining every emotion, we wanted audiences to experience them.
and how the story was used in a story ecosystem
An original animated short film.
An original narrative inspired by a deeply personal family experience.
A surreal, playful visual world designed to express complex emotions.
Expressive animation that brings the story and its emotional journey to life.
based on trust, not just metrics
A personal story that connected beyond our studio. Where Are You Now? became more than an opportunity to experiment with animation. It was a way to share a personal experience and explore how storytelling can help us understand difficult emotions.
The film went on to receive recognition:
2019 - Best in Animation, Creative Best Awards
2020 - Official Selection, Cleveland International Film Festival
But beyond the recognition, the project reinforced something we believe deeply: Animation isn't just a way to explain things or entertain people. It's a way to make people feel something.
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Once the story was written, we explored how to translate its emotional themes into a visual experience. We landed on a hand-drawn approach that allowed us to move freely between reality and imagination. The words "surreal" and "playful" became creative guides throughout development. We paid particular attention to pacing, allowing moments to breathe, as well as color, using it to help communicate shifts in emotion.
The result was an experiment in using animation to explore two feelings that can seem contradictory, but often exist together. Sadness and hope.
with us.A strong partnership between organization and studio is the crux of great creation. We listen. We ask questions. We seek out the story hiding beneath the surface. Then we bring it to life through creative documentation.
