The Visit 探望
A stop motion film exploring the complex dynamics between a young girl and her imprisoned father. Hand-felted puppets bring to life a story of entrapment and loss that leaves the characters seeking solace in familial ties.
Independent film
2021
Festivals & Awards
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
PÖFF Shorts (Black Nights Film Festival)
Uppsala Short Film Festival
Festival Villa del Cine - Best Short Animation
Asian Academy Creative Awards –Winner (Short Form Content)
ifva Awards Film Festival – Silver Award
National Youth Film Awards – Best Animation, Best Art Direction
Cartoons Underground – Best Animation & Audience Choice Award
23rd DigiCon6 Asia Singapore – Silver
Vimeo Staff Pick
New Chitose International Animation Festival
Encounters Film Festival
Atlanta Film Festival
Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS)
Imaginaria International Animated Film Festival
Anim'est International Animation Festival
Taichung International Animation Festival
StopTrik International Film Festival
Asian Film Archive - Singapore Shorts
A Story, Deeply Felt
In 2020, we were invited to create a short film as part of the Spectrum animated anthology series. What transpired was a heartwarming felt puppet stop-motion film, based on a personal true story, about a daughter reflecting upon the distance between her and her incarcerated father.
Produced amidst the pandemic, this film is a labour of love as well as a poignant meditation on family.
The World through Her Eyes
Animation became the natural way to tell this story - where live-action couldn’t go, we built it instead. Through stop-motion, memories were translated into a physical, miniature world.
Reality in Miniature
At its centre is the Waiting Room, where the protagonist Ting spends long, uneventful hours before each visit. Stretched in length, cooled in tone, and stripped of warmth, the space mirrors her experience of time—slow, heavy, and quietly unending.
All In The Details
Shaped by Hand
To bring the characters to life, our team of riggers and puppet makers started with design schematics of the puppets and created wire skeletons, on top of which we wrapped in felt.
The jittering of the fibers from the frame-by-frame movements enhances the illusion of liveliness in the scene. A costume designer sews tiny pieces clothing over to complete the puppets.
Locked in Time
In contrast to the Waiting Room, the Locker Room serves as a quiet threshold. Ting leaves everything behind here, even her watch, as if time itself has to be surrendered before she can go any further.
So Close, Yet So Far
Beyond it, the Visiting Room is tight and contained. Father and daughter sit across from each other, close but divided by a thin sheet of glass. The space holds both reunion and separation at once – intimate, yet out of reach.
A Breath of Life
Through the magic of stop-motion, the characters, props, lighting, and cameras are moved with micro-precision, thousands of times. With each click of the shutter, our characters begin to feel, behave, and act.
A Personal Voice
Renowned theatre veterans Judee Tan and Huang Jia Qiang were brought on to give voices to Ting and her Father.
Credits
Written and Directed by: Morrie Tan
Produced by: Jerrold Chong, Mark Wee, Morrie Tan
Animation: Gloria Yeo, Mark Wee, Jerrold Chong
Production Design: Yanyun Chen, Gloria Yeo, Wong Shi Teng, Hana Lee
Set Construction: Li Yihua, Roxann Gan, Wong Yi Ting, Jessica Goh, Phoebe Zoe Ho, Morrie Tan
Puppets: Li Yihua
Costume Design: Loh Ke Hua
Storyboards: Roxann Gan and Sarah Cheok
2D Animation: Sarah Cheok, Andre Quek, Jessica Goh, Fira Razman
Editor: Jia Lee
Music and Sound Design: Jevon Chandra
CGI by: Robot Playground Media