Barry the Blobfish

Barry the Blobfish is a children’s narrative I wrote about an ugly deep-sea critter that longs to swim in the sunlight with all the beautiful and colorful fish on top of a coral reef. Barry meets a new friend he names Carry, a tiny cleaner fish, who motivates him to the best of his abilities. As a fish who can’t swim, Barry finds new methods to attempt to reach the top of the cliff. However, with each try, Barry becomes more and more frustrated. Barry the Blobfish is a story to inspire children to dream big, to always stay positive, and to be supportive of others.

In my research on blobfish, I was attracted to how expressive they naturally look. They are also a species of fish that cannot swim the way normal fish do. Instead, they use the oxygen in the water to virtually inflate them to float to the surface. The unique physical attributes, and albeit ugly look of this particular fish inspired Barry as a character who is a victim of his own self-doubt.

Character designs for Barry were challenging in discovering ways to manipulate the bulbous figure and gelatinous texture of his body in order to illustrate movement and his actions. However, the plumpness and weight became the feature that gave him the most character. Backgrounds, on the other hand, were challenging in that they needed to allow the character layers to blend and act like one image. The final background and character images were merged together in Photoshop, and spreads were laid out using InDesign. The final presentation of Barry the Blobfish is in both print and eBook.

Barry the Blobfish is currently in production as a 3D Animated Short Film and Master’s Thesis.

FINAL FILM

Barry the Blobfish from Marleia Alfaro on Vimeo.

BARRY THE BLOBFISH OFFICIAL RELEASE

I am excited to announce that my thesis film, Barry the Blobfish is now complete! I spent the last 3 years at Academy of Art University studying animation, and making this short film with the help of a small team of people. I am so proud of it and everyone who has helped me along the way, I am so grateful. I now present to you, Barry the Blobfish:

Film Festival Recognitions:

2018:

Finalist – Children’s International Film Festival, North Carolina – 2018
Finalist – Snowdance Film Festival at Holden Village, Washington – 2018
Semi-Finalist – Hollywood Screenings Film Festival 2018
Semi-Finalist – San Mauro Film Festival – 2018

2017:

Finalist – Golden Angel Award Nomination – 13th Annual Chinese American Film Festival, Los Angeles 2017
Finalist – 24th International Adana Film Festival, Turkey – 2017
Finalist – Ajayu International Animation Short Film Festival, Peru – 2017
Semi-Finalist – Bushman Film Festival, Africa 2017
Semi-Finalist – Caribbean Film Festival & Market 2017
Semi-Finalist – G2 Green Earth Film Festival 2017
Semi-Finalist – Les Films de la Toile, France – 2017
Semi-Finalist – Los Angelest Cinefest 2017

Official Selections:

2019: