Issue #67 | September 28th, 2025
Hello Reader 👋
This week, something shifted for me. After months of staying quiet on social media, I decided it was time to come back—and so I started writing again on LinkedIn. It feels good to be back. Not just posting, but finally speaking openly about this new vision I’ve been shaping for Animator Now.
Broadening the Vision
I wouldn’t call it a pivot. It’s more like opening the window a little wider. For years, Animator Now has been about teaching animation—but what I’ve realized is that my real strength, and my real joy, is also in showing how to make a living with animation outside of the big studio treadmill.
Goodbye, Imposter Syndrome
For the longest time, I carried a bit of imposter syndrome. I built a solid career, but never worked at Pixar, DreamWorks, or Disney. And that little voice in my head kept saying: “Who are you to teach?”
But you know what? I don’t give a shit about that anymore.
I’ve spent 20 years building a career in animation without those doors ever opening for me, and I know exactly what it takes to survive—and thrive—on your own terms. And suddenly, talking about that feels so natural. So right. So legit.
Because it’s not theory. It’s my life.
The New Vision
So if you’re an animator who wants to learn, land a job in a great studio but also is interested to find a path outside the traditional studio system, Animator Now is for you. This is where I feel most at home, sharing not just the craft, but the journey of making animation your livelihood.
Just ten minutes before writing these words, I finished filming the very first YouTube video about this. In it, I explain the whole vision, why I’m building Animator Now in public, and what’s next. I’ll be posting it next week—you’ll find the link to the channel below so you won’t miss it when it goes live.
Honestly? I’m pumped. I feel like I’ve finally found the right words for something that’s been growing inside me for years.
So—let’s dive into this week’s issue. 🚀
And always, thanks for being here ❤️
The Spotlight
Every once in a while, a film tricks your eyes so completely that you sit through the credits just to be sure of what you saw. That’s exactly what happened to me with Soft Rain.
For the entire film, I wasn’t sure: is this stop motion, or is it CG? The texturing, the lighting, even the way the characters move—it all screams stop motion. And yet, it’s fully CG. Pulling that off is no small feat. Mimicking the imperfections of stop motion in 3D is really hard, and here it’s done so well that I honestly couldn’t tell until the credits rolled.
The sets are just as convincing. The tiny details—the cramped bathroom, the damp streets, the crowded bus stop—feel like they’ve been built by hand, lit by miniature lamps, and captured frame by frame. It almost makes you wonder: why not just do it in stop motion? The likely answer: budget and training. The filmmakers clearly come from a CG background and mastered their tools to bend them toward a stop-motion aesthetic.
I get it. I’ve been there myself. When we were making Oni: Thunder God’s Tale for Netflix, the original plan was stop motion. But as the story expanded, so did the budget. Eventually, we had to switch to CG—while still trying to keep the tactile, handcrafted feel. That’s exactly what’s happening here in Soft Rain.
And then there’s the story. At its heart, it’s about a man living with depression. He stands alone at a bus stop in the middle of a strange downpour—pink, fluffy balls falling like rain. A cheerful woman steps under his umbrella, sharing the moment with warmth and color. It’s a simple, almost childlike metaphor, but also a touching reminder: sometimes what a person weighed down by depression needs most is just a little company, a little shift in perspective.
Visually stunning, emotionally tender, and technically jaw-dropping, Soft Rain is one of the best examples I’ve seen of CG embracing the soul of stop motion. I’m not surprised it won awards—it deserves them.
👉 Watch it if you want to see just how far CG can go in mimicking the warmth of stop motion, and if you want a gentle, heartfelt story along the way.
The Job Fair
- Senior 2D Animator - Innersloth
Innersloth is a small remote team scattered mostly in North America. We released Among Us in 2018 and are now working on a new narrative game. We are looking to expand our creative team with a temporary (12-18 months,) full-time, Senior 2D Animator.
- 2D Animator - Phil & Flo Creative Studio
We are looking for an enthusiastic 2D animator with an MBO or HBO background in the graphics world, who is skilled in After Effects and has a strong portfolio to show.
- 3D Animator (Contract) - Lucky VR
Lucky VR is a multi-platform (VR, PC, Mobile, PlayStation) game development studio creating the next generation of online social gaming. Our exclusive partnership with PokerStars (the world’s largest poker site) has propelled our debut game, Vegas Infinite, into one of the most popular multiplayer games in VR and beyond.
- AI Motion Design & 2D Animator - 1UpMedia
At 1UpMedia, we're expanding our suite to include animations. Our animators enjoy substantial creative freedom and responsibility - you get to decide the style, and artwork (of course within constraints). Your primary task will be to transform MP3 recordings from our podcasts into fully immersive animations. This involves carefully selecting and positioning numerous effects and animating stills into captivating videos for our viewers.
The Random Stuff
- This week I was reminded of something powerful: if you treat a platform like a game and stick with it for a year—LinkedIn, X, YouTube, whatever—you’ll learn the “code.” Suddenly, reaching people doesn’t feel like luck anymore, it feels like a superpower.
- How many iPhone cables have you burned through in the last 10 years? (Yeah, me too—too many 😅). Before my trip to Bali, I finally bought one that’s sturdy enough to survive constant packing, unplugging, and travel—and two months later, it still feels brand new. Hands down, the best cable I’ve ever had.
- For years, my inbox was a mess—work emails tangled with all the newsletters I love. My OCD brain hated it. 😅 I finally found the perfect (and free) solution: NetNewsWire. It’s like a second inbox just for newsletters, syncs between iPhone and Mac, and keeps everything organized. Total game-changer.
Philippe Duvin
Founder, Animator NOW
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