axolodyssey “Studio Fresco Animation” is a hand-drawn short animation created by Studio Fresco Animation, an independent artist collective working across studios and countries. Animated entirely in TVPaint, the film brings together contributors from a variety of backgrounds, from major studios in the United States to smaller studios in Europe and Asia, all working together on a project that began as a personal idea during the pandemic and gradually expanded into a full production.
Directed by John Densk, the film follows Jojo, a young axolotl stranded alone in a fantasy-inspired Mexican lakeside ecosystem. As he sets out in search of his missing family, the story unfolds as a journey through strange environments populated by strange creatures, fleeting companions, and looming threats. In addition to its adventure framework, the film takes real-world inspiration from the endangered axolotl and its habitat, grounding its fantasy in an ecological context.
We recently met Desk to talk about his films. And the filmmakers provided us with exclusive access to a short clip. I will link it below.
Origin of the pandemic
This project, like many pandemic-era works, began as a personal experiment. “It started out as just me making something…I’d never made a movie before…I didn’t have anything else to do at the time,” Densk recalls. It then slowly evolved from an exploratory storyboard to a full-fledged work, partially funded through Kickstarter.
Even then, economic conditions were unconventional. “All the money we made from Kickstarter was going to other people…They just liked the project and had already started doing it for free, so I felt terrible.”The result was a film that was completed largely through goodwill and shared enthusiasm, with artists on board, major studio credits, and time and effort invested in a common vision.
short, and maybe longer
axolodyssey It was about 12 minutes long, but it was almost much more. Early versions lasted quite a while until some candid advice from a colleague working at Pixar led to the project being restructured. “She was like, we need to cut this in half.”
That editorial discipline paid off. The completed short story now serves as what Densk calls “a great test pilot for the larger story.” Plans for a graphic novel adaptation and full-length version are already in the works, suggesting that JoJo’s journey isn’t over yet.
East meets west
Visually, axolodyssey It borrows from multiple animation traditions. Trained under Nashville-based Disney veteran Tom Bancroft in what he calls the “Disney way,” Densk set out to fuse that foundation with the sensibilities of Studio Ghibli. “My intention was to take inspiration from my favorite studio, Studio Ghibli, and take everything I’ve learned in Western animation and fuse them together,” he explains.
Here’s the special clip we showed you earlier for a closer look at the film’s captivating aesthetic.
That creative choice made the project perfect for producer Usman Riaz, the creator of outstanding Pakistani films inspired by Ghibli. glassworker.
In Densk’s film, characters move with restrained naturalism, deliberately reducing the exaggerated squeezing and stretching associated with American animation. The environments lean towards saturated colors and a child-like perspective. As Densk explains, the goal was “not something like an illustrator’s world, but something similar to how a child would see this little world.”
Yes, there is also a cooking scene. “I have to,” he jokes.
Monsters, humans, and forms of threat
One of the film’s most striking design choices is its depiction of humans. They look amorphous and looming rather than clearly defined shapes, looking more like environmental disasters than traditional letters.
“There was a lot I learned about how humans affect axolotls in real life. I wanted the axolotl to be kind of gelatinous and amorphous…almost grime-like,” says Densk. Their bright yellow eyes emphasize their predatory ambiguity. They’re not outright villains, but they do feel dangerous.
frog eyes
overall character design axolodyssey We’re all about simplicity with dotted eyes and graphic silhouettes, except for one notable outlier: a frog named Francis whose pupils are fully rendered.
This distinction was not carefully planned. “I just drew him like that one day…and I thought, oh, this design is really nice,” admits Densk. It still serves a narrative function and subtly enhances the character’s presence. “He was a little bit of a star compared to the other players…It was a happy accident.”
assemble the plane while flying
Manufacturing process behind axolodyssey It was far from conventional. Densk wrote the story directly using storyboards, a choice he regrets and has no plans to repeat in future films. “I did the crazy thing of using storyboards to write it,” he says, crediting the comic book background with giving him the confidence to take on the challenge.
This approach came with trade-offs. “What I didn’t realize until much later was that [Miyazaki] “There’s definitely at least something like an outline…that was my mistake,” he explains, with a nod to his idol’s penchant for story-writing. Due to the learning curve, the schedule took about two years for solo development and then two years for production.
Even after the team expanded, Densk remained heavily involved in layout, animation, and direction. “For me, it was just faster…People have jobs, and I would go crazy if I didn’t work for a month.”
national geographic
The film’s premise is based on a surprisingly recent discovery. “I just found out, [axolotls] What started as a curiosity about endangered species evolved into something more personal, Densk said.
“At the time, I hadn’t seen my family in a year and a half…I was isolated, and this little lizard and I just kind of hit it off.” That emotional throughline anchors the film’s fantasy elements in a real-life experience.
Festival circuit and beyond
the current, axolodyssey is participating in several summer and fall events and is preparing for the festival. “We’re basically just waiting,” Densk said. General release is scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend, but the team is keeping its options open depending on what happens on the festival front.
In the long term, Densk envisions movies extending beyond the screen. One of the goals is to return the axolotl to its real-world habitat. “We want to show this movie to kids for free, like a zoo in Mexico. This is yours, use it as you like.”
For a project born in isolation and built through collective effort, that sense of giving back feels central. axolodyssey I’m trying.
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