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A Midwinter Night's Dream

- Brief Synopsis: A Fantasia of Magic & Romance in Disneyland

- Film Submission: Continually updated with new animation.

- The Director's Cut: Viewed thru the Trailer, which includes my personal choice of voices, sound effects, and score.

- The Director's Statement: Introduction to film.

  • Mike Ryan
    Director
  • Kevin MacLeod
    Music
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Genres:
    Romance, Fantasy, Musical, Christmas
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 3, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Multiplane Technicolor
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Mike Ryan

Mike Ryan is a traditional animator who specializes in the three primary forms of 2D animation: hand drawn, paperless, and rigging. Together, they form the traditional animation seen in his films. He strives to create films that reflect the influence of the Golden Age of Animation and the Animation Renaissance, the animated works that inspire him to be an animator.

Ryan has animated for 15 years. He graduated from the University of Central Florida Experimental Animation Program under Professor Scott F. Hall. Ryan teaches animation courses on the online learning platform SkillShare. He is a volunteer animator for the VR project FuturePort 82', which recreates EPCOT CENTER from the 1980's. And he is a filmmaker whose new animated short film, "A Midwinter Night's Dream", is now playing in the film festival circuit.

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Director Statement

A Fantasia of Magic & Romance, “A Midwinter Night’s Dream” revolves around a love between two old souls, Ralph & Lisa, in Disneyland. I chose to tell this story through traditional animation, my favorite form of art, because of the art form’s natural sense of charm, timelessness, and wonder. The inspiration behind the animated film came from one of those rare spiritual awakenings after going for the very first time to Disneyland during the holiday season.

As a result, the wonderful feeling I experienced from my visit spilled over to my animation. To animate this film has made me truly happy during the two years of filming. It has challenged me tremendously, which makes it such a rewarding experience. It displays a world we want to live in and share to everyone. For while physically we may be stuck here in the now, spiritually we have already left for that faraway land of someday.

What I’ve learned over the course of this challenging pandemic is that what connects all people is their yearning for better days. It’s a universal longing that transcends all barriers, no matter what walk of life or from what part of the world we are from. It is with that hopeful “someday” that continues to drive us during these times. So, with this film I wanted the message to display a world we all wanted to live in and share to everyone. For what better way to express a life we all yearn for than thru the magic of animation.