Mercedes Milligan March 16, 2023
Award-winning boutique studio Switch Animation (ZipZaps) is celebrating World Autism Day (April 2) with the global online release of The Perfect Project, an animated short film about autism adapted from the book of the same name by author, professor, TEDx speaker and award-winning psychologist Dr. Tracy Packiam, PhD.
“This film showcases the superpowers of autistic children with sensitivity and gentle humor, telling the heartwarming tale of how a young boy with autism and his classmates learn to collaborate on their science fair project,” says Dr. Packiam.
The Perfect Project is a passion production for Switch Animation, which strives to create content that inspires, educates and entertains. “It started in 2019 with the festival short ZOUA, a story of friendship, shared around the world, from the creative minds of a group of brave children fighting cancer,” Pete Denomme, CEO/Executive Producer of Switch explains. “With the The Perfect Project it was important to me to express to children what autism is in a simple, direct and honest way with the critical themes of understanding and acceptance.”
The team on the film included voice actors and animators on the autism spectrum as well as a behavior therapist who deals daily with children who, like the short’s lead character Charlie, face many situations that non-autistic classmates take for granted. Within the framework of the story, key elements of Charlies autism are proven to be his strengths as he is instrumental in helping his team.
To amplify efforts during April’s World Autism Month to educate, support and bring awareness of autism, Switch Animation is bringing The Perfect Project and Charlie’s adventure to a wider audience, to share his positive influence on the perception and reception of autism.
Watch the trailer for The Perfect Project on Vimeo and learn more about Switch Animation at switchent.com
Article as it originally appeared in Animation Magazine