For my senior thesis, I wrote and illustrated a pitch deck for a feature-length movie titled “Where The Giants Roam.” The story details a little boy named Oliver who escapes into his imagination to cope with the death of his father until one day it isn’t enough. Desperate to avoid the pain, he follows a strange masked creature, who’s been lurking for some time, into another world called the Giant’s Realm. From there Oliver must find his way back home by traversing through the four territories each inhabited by a guardian and find the masked creature.

The story is a coming-of-age about learning to accept grief and the negative emotions that come with it. As a proud aunt of many nieces and nephews, I wanted to create a story that resonated with a younger audience and wouldn’t talk down to them. Children experience grief too and at times it feels like they are taught to repress their “negative” emotions. This story shows that it’s okay to cry, get mad, and ask questions because losing someone is hard but you don’t have to do it alone.

If you’d like to learn more there is a link to the full pitch attached to the cover page.