There are films which deliver the instantly accessible themes of action, revenge, romance, and the like and then there are those like Goodnight Mr. Sandman. Don’t write it off as just “another animated story” because Goodnight Mr. Sandman possesses all of the charm of a mid 70s Rankin Bass Production combined with the Oscar Nominated Being John Malkovich.
The creative offspring of writer/director/animator Nathania Zaini, this film melds fantasy with reality in a highly sophisticated storytelling style. Goodnight Mr. Sandman is that unique type of production that works equally well on an adult and youth level. Indicative of its appeal is this film’s wins at the LA Under the Stars Film Festival and Five Continents International Film Festival as well as accolades from such prestigious events as the New York Animation Film Awards, Prague Film Awards, and others.
Director David Rocco Facchini (known for his work in the Art Department of NBC’s BMI Film & TV Award Winning series Chicago Med) noticed Nathania’s artistry on Goodnight Mr. Sandman and brought her to work on The Cookie Cutter from MoStopMo Studio. Through her work in both of these films, Ms. Zaini displays that the artform known as animation communicates powerful messages when created by immensely talented professionals such as herself.
Animated films have certainly become dazzling with their ultra-realistic state of the art computer images. Even so, the essential ingredient needed to engage an audience is emotional connection. This fact is undeniable. Both Goodnight Mr. Sandman and The Cookie Cutter embrace the more traditional form of animated filmmaking know as stop motion animation. It’s immediately apparent that the analogue approach of this style is imbued with an emotional warmth.
Both of these films fixate on the challenges of being human even if all of the characters are not human. While on the surface, Goodnight Mr. Sandman is a whimsical tale of this mythological character who attempts to lull a writer to sleep; the subtext is about the life of a creative professional whose deadlines, productivity challenges, and depression can be taxing. The characters and aesthetics of Goodnight Mr. Sandman are soothing while Ms. Zaini’s use of filmmaking techniques allows the story to vibrate on two simultaneous levels.
Zip Pans and Vertigo Shots (aka Dolly-Zoom) injects a dramatic Hitchcock-esque vibe to the action. This all the more impressive when you consider that doing so requires minute adjustments of millimeters and is performed by Nathania herself. Writing, storyboarding, puppet fabrication, animation, and other aspects of Goodnight Mr. Sandman provide remarkable proof that Ms. Zaini is a visionary filmmaker, whatever the manner of story delivery may be.
Sometimes the challenge for someone like Nathania is to help manifest the vision of another artist. For The Cookie Cutter, she was part of the Art Department which saw her fabricating puppets and props, building exterior and interior architectural sets, and animating clay puppets. The visual presentation is lighthearted but there is a kernel of social commentary on body shaming in this story.
Ms. Zaini’s imprint on the film is prominent, ranging from the smallest details such as the prop cookie boxes and girl scout embroidered illustration patches (smaller than the size of a penny in real life) to the fabrication and creation of the hill that is inhabited by houses, rivers, streets, and little creatures.
Finding the perfect solution to correlate to the visual and emotional tone of a production is what she finds most satisfying as Nathania communicates, “I appreciate the opportunity to work with a small team in a small production, where we all hold multiple roles. This close collaboration translates onto the screen. The Cookie Cutter is a simple and light story that can be enjoyed by children, but also layered to make it appealing for adults. It’s more than just a dark comedy. Looking deeper into it, it also addresses social issues about body image, body acceptance.”
Krishan Jangir