This was honestly such an amazing piece; there were so many things about it that I enjoyed! First of all, I think your plot is very well-rounded and it was quite satisfying to see everything come full-circle in the end. Also the art is very precise and added a lot to the storytelling. I love the way that you had your own narration alongside of it as well; it really helped the comedic points hit and the voice you used for Sawyer was HILARIOUS. It really encapsulated who his character is and the role that he’d play in the story the moment he started to speak. Additionally the fact that this complex story was created around a singular moral lesson is very impressive. I’d love to see this animated as either a short film or even a movie; I think people would love it!

Hi Katrina!! Thank you very much, that is very nice of you to say so! I had a lot of fun working on this and I'd love to continue taking it further. I think the world needs more Sophie and more chaotic kitty kaiju capers! Originally when I had first thought of the idea, my thought was to make a parallel between parenting and being a new parent. How an exploring toddler or even a tired one can feel like a rampaging monster capable of destroying a city. Sometimes, we remember what life was like before we become parents, but recognize that that life is gone and we have to succeed with the situation in front of us. At least, this was where I started, and it evolved into coming together as a family to handle whatever life throws at you. Thank you again for watching!!

Hello Alex! This story is so so so much fun and I cannot thank you enough for sharing it. I love the twists and turns all the characters were taken on during their journey. The narration felt perfect for helping to convey the plot, and the drawings were really great, with wonderful camera angles. So much love for your short!!

Hi Kristin! Thank you so much for saying so! I appreciate the love and thank you for watching! I had a lot of fun working on this project, and really felt like I was discovering what was going to happen next along with everyone else! I really benefited from everyone’s feedback and really, hearing comments like yours definitely makes me feel like all the hard work was worth it. Thank you again.

This is definitely WILD! Love the voice acting and the imageries. There's a lot of visual interest and I wish I'm more engaged w the protagonist's demise and journey--perhaps I missed it if you have stated. Otherwise job well done!

Hi Ivan! Thank you for watching and thank you for the feedback. I’d love to know what could have helped connect better with the protagonist? It does bring up something that was probably the biggest lesson that I was constantly needing to learn throughout this process and work into the story, was that I needed to be clearer about character motivations by knowing when to SHOW and when to TELL. I know I’ve still got plenty to learn and that this story still has room to get better. I’m happy with my submission, but also recognize that there is still work to be done. Thank you again!

Hi Alex! I’m so glad to see your final submission!

From the first time I saw one of your submissions, you have had me totally hooked on your story! The acting you do with the different types of voices seem totally incredible to me!
Somehow, you have brought together in the same story the humor, the tragedy and the values of family love. And the most important thing is that you have managed to do that in a super entertaining way for your audience.
I have already told you about it in other submissions, but your art is totally amazing. You have the ability to give great expressiveness to all your characters! My favourite is the boy who is always making fun of him, I would love to see a story only about that boy haha

I want to congratulate you for having managed to finish the program, it has been very hard work for everyone, and I think you have achieved it with excellent results without a doubt!

Hi Julieta! Thank you so much for following the progress of this story. I’ve truly appreciated your feedback, and it means the world that you like the artwork and everything that brought Sophie to life. HA! Thank you about the voice acting! I was totally embarrassing my family when I would record in the house, but I had a lot of fun doing it. :D Thank you also for the Annoying Kid (Sawyer), he was inspired by some of the kids my own son would deal with when he was younger. I would LOVE to explore more about Sawyer and his antics, that would be fun!

Even if you embarrassed your family, I'm sure your story wouldn't have been the same without those voices!
If you explore a little more about Sawyer, I'd love to see your work!
Before I forgot to tell you that I'm sorry I couldn't comment on your work last week to help you with the final submission :(
In any case, if you continue with this story or you develop more stories count on me to help you on Discord!

I think deep down they enjoyed the voices. :D

Yes, absolutely I appreciate the help! I’m @corspufo on Discord! Thank you again.

Hi Alex! I've said this before but I really love your story! I've watched a few of your past sumbissions and am so happy to see the final reel. You have very strong storytelling and narration skills; your character acting (and Sophie) had me laughing the whole time. Your characters are very expressive and the storyline is clear (for this reason i didnt think the act labels were necessary or the moral explaination). I like the family bond coming together to resolve the issue. Such a fun story that i hope you do decide to continue/pursue further. I think your characters would make a good animated series. Amazing job!! I hope to see Sophie again:)

Hi Gina!! Thank you so much, I really appreciate the kind words. I’d absolutely love to turn this into a series or feature length film! I had so much fun working on this, that I’d love to continue exploring the story, the world, and the characters.

I totally agree with you, about the act markers and moral at the end. I think I’d gotten so used to seeing them, that it didn’t occur to me to remove them!! Talk about needing an extra pair of eyes! :P

Thank you again for following the progress, the feedback, and thank you for watching.

Yess! I'll keep an eye out..
And haha no worries, just wanted to say that in case you were worried the storyline wasn't clear:)

This is by far the most complete and well designed submission I’ve seen. You have GREAT skill in character design, camera work, scene layout, and editing.

I marked this as INCREDIBLE.

The story sort of feels like Mitchells vs the Machines + Honey I Blew Up the Baby. All good things!

It’s really SO GOOD that I barely have any critiques. You’ve obviously put a ton of work into this.

It’s a bit long at 8 minutes. If you could tighten the story or trim a minute or two, it would be perfect.

WOW!! Thank you so much!! I really love Mitchells VS the Machines, and love the “Honey I-“ series, what a wonderful compliment! Thank you so much for watching, it is very much appreciated. Yes, I agree about the run time. I was really working at trying to bring it down, but was having too much fun and didn’t have the heart to cut down some of the transitional moments. Thank you again!

Visual Storytelling:
The use of shades in the sketches gives a sense of perspective, which is illustrated by the darkest shades that denotes the characters' location in the extreme foreground [nearest to the viewers]
(e.g. Ken in the bus with Sawyer and the other students in 00:45 - 01:19, where viewers would be able to witness intense emotions of Ken's anger/annoyance.). The darker shades also allows emphasis/focus to the viewers. (e.g. 01:20 - 01:33, when Ken arrives and enters at his home, Ken's silhouette uses the darkest shade, which helps viewers know where to look, and also recognize Ken's silhouette shape from one frame to the next.)

Character Development:
One of the most compelling traits throughout the story was Ken and his family realizing their mistakes.
Since the beginning of the story, Ken and his parents were all distracted and concentrated with their own agendas, making all of them oblivious to each other's perspectives. All of their agenda distractions then became disrupted by the time Sophie became a kaiju because of Ken's carelessness. The destruction that kaiju Sophie caused, made Ken realize the consequences of his chore negligence. Ken was not the only one at fault, when Ken's father felt guilty on leaving his experiments next to Sophie's stuff; while Ken's mother's scolded the two men for their neglecting actions, she was able to share her responsibilities with the two when she tells to the two "that it was our mess, and we will take care of it together." The realization and forgiveness would allow viewers to sympathize to Ken's family, as well as demonstrating the family's capability of working together. If Ken's family were not able to understand their mistakes, the audience would not be able to emotionally connect with Ken's family, let alone not being able to save Sophie on time.

Story Structure:
By the time Ken's family are able to work together with a plan near the end of the story, the elements (i.e. the father's inventions, the mother's YouTube followers, Ken's online gamer friends, Sophie's chores, etc.) are referenced from the first parts of the story. By recalling the earlier parts into the later story line, the audience should get a sense that rallying enough people and doing Sophie's chores would all become unexpectedly needed to save Sophie, while also corresponding with the moral of the story regarding responsibility. By the end of the story, Ken and his family are a lot more successful than the beginning of the story (Ken's father's is a 'Certified Genius", and Ken's mother has more followers and stardom on her social media platform). Ken first started out as someone not cooperating with the family chores and Sophie, and then becoming more responsible and caring, after facing the events of kaiju Sophie.

Final Thoughts:
I really agree with a reminder "that the best creativity is never done in a vacuum and the best stories happen with collaboration", such as our commentary/feedback to each other through "Pixar Story Xperiential". Time always gets the best of us with deadlines soon approaching. Out of curiosity, what happened with Sawyer after his cheating tactics and his house destruction, since Ken got "invited to the National Two Week Pew Pew Championship League"? I do hope you are able to push the story of "Sophie" even further. I am sure that your cat would truly appreciate this story. I had a very fantastic time watching and providing feedback to the progression of "Sophie". Best of luck for the next projects to come.

Thank you Winston for such a wonderful breakdown of “Sophie”! You really captured what I had hoped the audience would take away with them. Thank you so much for all the kind words, and same to you as well. Your feedback has been valuable and helped get Sophie to where it is today.
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For Sawyer, after the destruction of his house, matters only got worse for him. The “Two Week Pew Pew” Security Team had been monitoring Sawyer’s activities under suspicions of hacking, and discovered aim-bots and other cheat assists. Sawyer was given a lifetime ban on the game and word spread about it. His cheating antics ultimately became the agreed upon reason Sophie ran amok in LA, and Sawyer gained meme level status as a “don’t be that guy” figure. Cheating and hacking statistics dropped dramatically as a result.

The Security Team had been monitoring Ken’s match against Sawyer and remarked, “if that kid wasn’t cheating, he’d have to wear 2 diapers to school!” It was their recommendation that an invitation be extended to Ken.
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I really enjoyed seeing the whole process from the idea to this animatic, the first act improved a lot now it's easier to enter the story.

Thank you so much! I have really appreciated your feedback throughout the course, and I’m glad you were able to see the whole thing evolve. Thank you for watching!!