As part of their final year project, six students in their final year of 3D Animation and Special Effects at ESMA took up a daring challenge: to create an animated short film on a sensitive subject that is still all too often taboo: Down’s syndrome. With “All Aboard!”, Joe Azar, Sasha Grandet, Sami Haouas, Camille…
A sensitive story with a touch of the imaginary
The film follows Ray, an endearing and stubborn character who dreams of boarding the Nucléus Express. Without a ticket, he sneaks aboard at the expense of Copper, a legal passenger. Behind this simple plot lies a profound story: a mother uses this adventure to explain Down’s Syndrome to her child. The story explores themes such as cooperation, tolerance and the importance of making room for everyone.The character of Ray is central to this approach. With his naivety and ability to see the best in others, he embodies traits often associated with people with Down’s syndrome. By making him both flawed and irresistibly optimistic, the filmmakers wanted to break down clichés and show the richness of these personalities.
A unique and rich visual universe
To tell this story from a child’s point of view, the team created a world of fabric and plush, both magical and full of meaningful detail. Every element – from the décor to the character design – subtly evokes Down’s syndrome, without ever becoming obvious. The characters, for example, have axolotl features and elements inspired by chromosomes, such as their characteristic little ears.
The marine world, with its lush plants, spectacular canyons and even a flying whale, adds a dreamlike dimension. This abundant world stimulates the imagination while anchoring the story in a coherent, memorable aesthetic.
Technical challenges brilliantly met
This ambitious project was not without its challenges. To give the characters their realistic plush appearance, the team used XGen, an advanced grooming tool. Although no simulation was necessary, the rigging had to adapt to this particularity, as did the caches for the rendering.Compositing also required meticulous preparation. Constraints included integrating the characters’ glasses while preserving the visibility of their eyes, managing the train tracks that appear and disappear, and creating complex particles in the canyon scenery.Hair rendering was another major challenge. In order to achieve reasonable render times without sacrificing quality, the team chose Neat for denoising. This solution enabled the fine texture of the lint to be preserved, while maintaining optimum efficiency.
A strong message, a committed team
With ‘All Aboard!’, Joe Azar, Sasha Grandet, Sami Haouas, Camille Lecour, Julie Marquet, Christina Varlokosta and Anaïs Mascherpa have created a short film that combines technical virtuosity and narrative depth. Their work reveals not only a mastery of 3D animation tools, but also a remarkable sensitivity to dealing with a complex subject in a gentle and intelligent way.
Let’s congratulate this talented team for transforming an intimate story into a universal work that is accessible to everyone. ‘All Aboard! is much more than a student film: it’s an invitation to dream of a more inclusive world, where everyone has their place.
The marine world, with its lush plants, spectacular canyons and even a flying whale, adds a dreamlike dimension. This abundant world stimulates the imagination while anchoring the story in a coherent, memorable aesthetic.
Let’s congratulate this talented team for transforming an intimate story into a universal work that is accessible to everyone. ‘All Aboard! is much more than a student film: it’s an invitation to dream of a more inclusive world, where everyone has their place.