Preston duo make short animation to comfort children during the pandemic

Teri and Michael appear in the animation

A Preston duo have made a short animation to help children who have become anxious during the coronavirus pandemic.

Route Nine Studios founders Teri Moran and Michael Jon Dawson are behind the animation, Be Okay, which tells the story of Gulliver the street cat and his experience of the pandemic.

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Teri said: “We wanted to make something that was child-friendly, because I know a lot of friends and family who have children who are feeling anxiety and worry.

“The main sources of news are obviously aimed at adults and that can be quite scary for children. We wanted to create a little character that children could relate to and offer them some comfort.”

Teri said they also wanted to use the animation to say thank you to the NHS and key workers. She and Michael make a cameo, holding a thank you sign on their Preston Docks apartment balcony, before a scene shows fireworks lighting up the sky above the Marina.

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The view from Teri and Michael's apartment is featured in the animation — The view from Teri and Michael’s apartment is featured in the animation

Teri said: “My mum works for the NHS and it’s hard not being able to see her, but knowing she’s going in to work every day to help people like she always does, and knowing that there are thousands like her at the moment just made us want to express our gratitude in our own little way.”

If the animation doesn’t appear below, view it on Facebook.

Teri and Michael have put their time in lockdown to good use.

“We first decided to try and spend the free time we had suddenly due to lockdown learning a new skill. We’ve worked with 2D animations before so we decided to learn 3D and to create a little short that blended the two.”

What do you think of the animation? Let us know in the comments.