sebastians voodoo

Temitope Adenaike Reaction Paper to Sebastian’s Voodoo. As I watched the first few seconds of the short animation Sebastian’s Voodoo, directed by Joaquin Baldwin, I was creeped out. The film opened up with a few roughly hewn fabric voodoo dolls being hung on hooks and an unidentifiable witch doctor as the antagonist in a location that looked like a workshop. I felt uncomfortable because I thought the animation was going to be based on hard-core witchcraft. Surprisingly that was not the case. Few minutes into the short film, I was completely enthralled and captivated by this brilliant piece of animation. Baldwin’s attention to detail was part of what made this 3D animation intriguing. He used the animation technique of anthropomorphism by showing the breathing movements of the dolls. The film used a lot of imagination, emotion and drama. The short video told a complete story without missing any plots, which made the mood of the piece very mysterious and suspenseful. Till the very end of the film, I kept wondering what was going to happen next, if the witch doctor was going to spot the escaped doll or if the doll was going to successfully kill the witchdoctor. I also felt sympathy for the dolls because they looked worried and frightened. The uses of deem lightning was a major contribution to the eerie feel of the animation. It was easy to understand that the film was going to be gloomy and dark because of the low lightning. The dark silhouette of the witch doctor also contributed to the fear of the unknown. The juxtaposition of light and darkness was also emphasized. The dark lights in the beginning and the bright lights at the end enhanced the story and plot. The witchdoctor symbolized darkness and the voodoo dolls ironically, symbolized light and hope. When the witch doctor died, a bright light filled the room, which showed that good always wins against evil and the voodoo dolls had been saved.

Cited: Joaquin, Baldwin. “Sebastian’s Voodoo.” YouTube. YouTube, 7 Sept. 2008. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.