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best friend

A bunny makes a disturbing discovery in his home which he takes as an opportunity to create himself a friend.

As an aspiring surgeon and self-proclaimed artist, a very lonely bunny has been losing his sanity trapped alone in an isolated pink room yet is unaware and unbothered by his mental slippage. As he keeps himself busy with morbid crafts, he notices that a giant deceased fly has appeared underneath his couch. Rather than investigate the supernatural, he takes this as a chance to perform a Frankenstein-inspired surgery to fashion himself some company.

  • Sophie Caswell
    Director
  • Sophie Caswell
    Writer
  • Sophie Caswell
    Producer
  • Skylar Januszkiewicz
    Voice Actor
  • Skylar Januszkiewicz
    Music Production
  • Sophie Caswell
    Animator
  • Sophie Caswell
    Character and Set Design
  • Skylar Januszkiewicz
    Key Cast
    "Blue Bunny"
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Stop-Motion Animation, Mixed-Media Animation, 2D Animation, Animated Short
  • Runtime:
    2 minutes 2 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 25, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of North Carolina at Asheville
Director Biography - Sophie Caswell

Sophie Caswell is an animator and mixed media artist specializing in stop-motion, 2D animation, puppet and set fabrication, and video editing. Graduating from the University of North Carolina Asheville in May of 2025 with a degree in New Media, she has displayed her work at exhibitions including the UNC Asheville New Media Spring 2025 Student Exhibition where she was awarded Best in Show and Best in Stop Motion Animation for her 2024 animated short film “best friend”. With skills in Adobe Creative Suite, Dragonframe, and Autodesk Maya, she directs her passions towards creating multimedia short films and commissioned works. As for other forms of media, she has a love for illustration, graphic design, sound design, sculpture, and printmaking. With a core desire to express untold narratives through visual storytelling, Sophie loves to experiment with different media to create artwork demonstrating a vulnerable dreamlike atmosphere with the ability to produce unique emotions and connect with others.

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Director Statement

This film was inspired by my fascination with artistic juxtaposition, specifically by merging contrasting creative ideas to produce unique emotions and aesthetics. Best Friend is the most raw example of the art I intend to create: a product of combining visual narratives from my vivid dreams and nightmares, critical and introspective looks into the unspoken sides of mental illness, and the beauty of the Gurokawa aesthetic, Japanese for “Creepy Cute”. By taking the viewer through an unsettling experience with pastel and gore, I intended on curating a beautifully grotesque emotional journey through the eyes of a personified blue bunny, mirrored also through mixed-media with the combination of both stop-motion and 2D animation.