---

Issue #80 | December 28th, 2025

Hello Reader 👋
​​
This week’s Animation Sunday starts with a full stop.

This is the last newsletter of the year. And honestly? It feels kind of great. Not because 2025 turned into some magical “overnight success” story… but because I did the thing I told myself I would do: I started, I built, and I stayed consistent.

I wasn’t expecting big revenue for Animator NOW in 2025. That wasn’t the mission. The mission was simpler (and harder): show up. Build the foundation. Make it real. Week after week.

And now, heading into 2026, the plan is clear: we double down.

More content. Better content. And yes, finally turning this into real revenue, so I can work a little less for clients… and a lot more on Animator NOW.

That’s the goal: replace my client income with Animator NOW.

Not to buy fancy cars or sleep in luxury hotels. I genuinely don’t give a shit about that.

What I’m building is a life of freedom.

Freedom to travel.
Freedom to wake up and choose my day.
Freedom to take my kids somewhere beautiful when I feel like it.
Freedom to buy a new guitar just because I’m obsessed with its sound. 🎸
And the big one: freedom to stop thinking about money all the time.

To finish the year, I want to leave you with one idea that keeps slapping me in the face (in a good way):

Doing beats thinking. Every time.

You can dream about a project, a career change, a new life… for years.

But nothing changes until you start doing something, even a tiny thing.

Yeah, it sounds like the kind of quote you’ve seen on motivational Instagram accounts.

But the annoying part is… it’s also fucking true.

Maybe there are a million steps between you and the life you want.

Fine.

But you’ll never reach step 1,000,000 if you don’t take step one.

And while we’re here: if you’re building something, you’ll meet two types of people.

• The ones who can see a vision before it exists. They’ll support you. They’ll get it.
• And the ones who only believe what’s in front of their face. No vision. Just reaction.

Stay close to the first group. Keep walking away from the second.

One last thing, because I’ve fallen into this trap myself:

At the beginning, you’re inspired by people you admire… and you try to become them.
You copy their style. Their content. Their tone. Their “formula.”
​
But here’s the truth: it’s too expensive to be someone else.
​It costs time. It costs energy. It burns you out.
And you can’t sustain it long enough to win anyway.

So if you’re building something in 2026, ask yourself:

Is this really me?

Or is this just “a thing that seems like it might work right now”?
Because the fastest way to succeed, long term, is being yourself.

Not the “perfect” version. Just the real one. The only one you can actually be consistent with.

My good resolutions for 2026? I don’t really have any. 😄
Same direction as always:

Stay healthy.
Spend time with my family.
Surf. Travel. Make music.
Build a life I actually want to live.
​
Alright. That’s it.
Now, on to this week’s issue 🌟

---

The Spotlight

Every once in a while, a film arrives that doesn’t try to impress you. It doesn’t scream style. It doesn’t push for spectacle. It just… exists. Quietly. Delicately. And somehow, that makes it unforgettable.
​
​Wormwood is one of those films.

​

Directed by a collective of GOBELINS talents — Matthieu Dupille, Chenhe Liu, Philémon Martin, Ninon Quemener, Alexander Vanderplank, and Binlin Xie — this short follows Simon, who rushes into the heart of a radiation-free zone, bringing his colleague Agathe along, in search of a childhood he’s lost to time and disaster.

There’s a beautiful stillness in this film. The pacing is unhurried, and it invites you to breathe. To look. To feel.

Simon barely speaks — yet his expressions carry everything. There’s a weight to his journey that feels deeply human. You sense the longing. The memory. The quiet ache. And Agathe? She’s a strange delight. Her oversized eyewear gives off just the right touch of absurdity — a funny, unsettling contrast to the film’s calm.

But maybe what struck me most is how the animation does exactly what it needs to. No more. No less. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately — when the animation simply serves the story. Not trying to dazzle or overperform. Just tuned perfectly to the emotional frequency of the film. Maybe I’ll find a name for this approach someday, because it’s what I cherish the most as an animator. When performance, style, and technique all fall away — and only the story remains.

Wormwood is subtle. Minimal. And gently haunting. It’s the kind of film that doesn’t just end — it lingers. In your mind. In your chest.
​​
​🎬 Credits
Directed by:​
Matthieu Dupille
Chenhe Liu
Philémon Martin
Ninon Quemener
Alexander Vanderplank
Binlin Xie
​
​Music, Sound Editing & Mix:
​Jérémy Ben Ammar

Produced at:
​GOBELINS, L’école de l’image (Paris)
​​
Distributed by:
​Miyu Distribution

---

The Job Fair

• ​2D Animators/Creative Director - Confidential Creative
  ​We are most in need of 2D animators that already have a Toon Boom license. One of our projects will be animating rigs, another will be handdrawn, and a third is a hybrid.For an ongoing consumer product client, we are also looking for a creative director (who is ideally also a 2D animator, though we are open to this person having more of a character design, rigging, or production design focused background). This person would ideally be able to take on an initial big bulk of work, and then small gigs here and there throughout the rest of the year. This role may involve some client-facing communication.
  ​
• ​Animator - Homa Games​
  As an Animator, you'll play a key role in shaping the motion identity and visual feel of All in Hole, one of Homa's flagship casual puzzle worlds. You will report directly to the Art Director and collaborate closely with 2D Artists, UI/UX Designers, Game Designers, and Unity Developers to bring the game's world and mechanics to life through expressive, satisfying animation. Your main responsibilities will include:
  ​
• ​Principal Technical Animator - CI Games​
  Join CI Games and be part of shaping the future of gaming. As we embark on an ambitious strategic roadmap with major releases planned for 2025-2028, we're seeking a talented and dedicated Principal Technical Animator to help us create ground-breaking experiences that captivate players worldwide.

---

The Random Stuff

​

🖌️Procreate Dreams 2 is out — and it’s packed with new features. To be honest, I’ve never really used it in full production mode. I use Procreate all the time for sketches and ideas, but I’ve always dreamed (pun intended?) of doing a complete short in Dreams. If you already own the first version, this update is free — just head to your iPad and grab it. ✨

---

🤖New studio decoration just landed: My wife bought me WALL·E and EVE in LEGO for Xmas! Yes, it’s as adorable as it sounds. The studio blueprint is shaping up beautifully, and I’m counting the days until I start building it — with my beloved LEGO Luxo lamp right there too. 😊

---

​

🎸 If you’re a real John Mayer fan like me, then you know the man isn’t just a musician — he’s hilarious. I was reminiscing last week about Current Mood, his old Instagram live show. I used to look forward to it every Sunday night. Total chaos, endless laughs. If you’ve never seen it, go down the YouTube rabbit hole — just search John Mayer Current Mood. Hours of joy await.

---

Philippe Duvin​
Founder, Animator NOW

Follow Me

Follow Animator NOW

PS. Some links in the newsletter are affiliate links.
PSS. Was this forwarded to you? 👉 Subscribe here​
PSSS. Hit reply any time. I reply to every single email.