Early Character Concepts

First Stages

Initially, my character was intended to be a humanoid like robot. So here, in my design concepts, you can see the focus on that. I did allow for alterations, such as different modes of how the robot traveled. This took my work from being strictly humanoid, to matching with a very mechanical design per se.

From this, I felt that my design was going away from where I wanted to head. When I thought about my narrative (which originally didn't have an animalistic robot), it was understood that the robot wanted to escape. It's motivation however, didn't feel compelling.

That's when I decided (after some feedback from various people), that making the robot be a animal might be a strong creative decision.

At this point, I pondered over what kind of animal I could possibly use; there's the option of keeping it familiar, or branching out and making it some weird hybrid. Once again, I felt that the familiarity of making it an animal well known would potentially produce more sympathy in the robots escape - which is what I want!

First sketches, thinking more along the lines of a humanoid robot.

So after deciding that I did indeed, want to make it an animal, I took to concepts again, considering what kind of animal would be both practical to build and help with the story telling process. I started off thinking of domestic animals - animals you would be accustomed to seeing, and would be easier to recognise in robot form.

Domestic animal process 

I later revised this thought pattern, and deliberated the idea of being a more "wild" animal, something that may strengthen the idea of an animal that would want freedom. Domestic animals are just that; domestic. Them being in "captivity", or being a pet is a universally accepted role for species such as canines, felines etc. Branching out to animals that are only to be found in the wild, and seeing them in captivity, away from their natural habitat, can be saddening for people to see. This kind of emotion is what I would want to be evoked in the viewer, creating a immediate bond and wanting to root for the little guy. I feel that this will be best achieved with a animal not typically seen (bar zoos, though perhaps that aids the cause, as zoos can used for entertainment purposes).

Finally, I managed to select an animal, based on a) the cuteness of said animal, and b) the way it will be to build and convey through shapes, hopefully.

Storyboard