Source: https://marconius.com/pastWork/Animation/Hoots.mp4

Hoots by Marco Salsiccia

This piece is hand-drawn pencil sketch animation. Characters are drawn and shaded with dark grey pencil lines on an off-white surface with a paper texture.

Open on Marco sitting behind an animation table. Seen from the chest up, Marco is wearing glasses, a polo shirt, has brushed back hair and a goatee.

[Marco] - "Hmm, I wonder what I should animate for Animation this quarter. What would Billy want to see..."

The view cuts to a 3/4 view of Marco sitting at the animation table, a wide lightbox with a sloping surface. The view pulls back to reveal a woman standing behind Marco. Laura is slim, wearing jeans and a tight jacket, has dark shoulder-length hair and Asian features.

Laura moves up behind Marco and glomps him in a hug. Both Laura and Marco smile, then Laura reaches past Marco for something out of view behind the lightbox.

[Laura] - "Why don't you use this little guy?"

A close up view of Laura's hand dropping a floppy stuffed owl on the Lightbox. The owl has wide round eyes, a tuft of feathers on its head, and stubby wings poking out from its plush body. The owl is stretched while Laura is holding it, then it collapses and squashes down into itself when it lands.

The view shifts back to Laura and Marco at the lightbox table, the little stuffed owl now sitting on the box in front of Marco. As Marco speaks, the little owl falls over on its face.

[Marco] - "That's not a bad idea!"

[Silly organ music]

As the music starts, the view cuts to a profile view of a female owl, her blonde hair sweeping over her head and down her back. She is facing right and sneaking, slowly bending backwards before moving her foot up, then bending forwards onto the tips of her extended talon, settling her weight on her forward foot before repeating the movement with her other leg. Her wings are up and bent by her sides.

Hooty, a male great horned owl, is perched on a branch and is sleeping. His wings are tucked in at his sides, his eyes are closed, and his beak opens and closes in an exaggerated snoring movement.

The view cuts back to Katie sneaking again. She is sneaking up to Hooty on the same branch that he is perched on.

Katie makes her way right up to Hooty, bends back in anticipation, then playfully lunges forward and shoves Hooty with both of her wings.

[Katie] - "Bother!"

Hooty startles awake and bounces off to the right of the branch on one leg, his wings waving to keep his balance as he reacts to being pushed. Katie laughs, then bounds towards us while running away from Hooty. Hooty laughs and follows close behind her, both of their wings opening up to take flight.

The view cuts to Marco sitting at the animation light table. He's holding a pencil and quickly moves back away from the lightbox. Katie and Hooty fly out of the lightbox, chasing each other in a circle around Marco's head. Marco twists around and topples backwards as the owls fly off, Marco's leg and shoe appearing in front of the lightbox after he lands on the ground.

[Silly organ msic] End credits