Rodrigo Sousa Teases Horror Mini-Series “Playground”

Director/animator/illustrator Rodrigo Goulão de Sousa, who co-directed this bitter-sweet grad film at Gobelins in 2021, just dropped a very intriguing trailer for a nightmarish animated series called Playground.

Rodrigo Sousa: “This project comes from my taste for horror films and series and scary things I remember having seen when I was younger. Series like Courage the Cowardly Dog or Goosebumps as well as Pan’s Labyrinth or the creatures of Spirited Away are examples of these childhood memories.

“This mixed with the fact that horror animation isn’t that widespread nowadays made me want to do this project.

“I chose to do a trailer because I can show multiple scenes and characters in a short amount of time, showing glimpses of a large and mysterious world. Not saying much about the story sparks more curiosity than explaining everything.
 

“I wanted to contrast the scary pitch-dark horror with the colorful palette of kids’ parks and toys.”

 
“This film was done between professional work in my free time. I spent something like six months on this concept trailer from pre to post-production. I animated it in TVPpaint and some things directly in After Effects.

“The universe the trailer presents is a mix of childhood imagery like playgrounds, inflatable castles, ball pits, and amusement parks, with creepy creatures lurking in the dark liminal spaces. I wanted to contrast the scary pitch-dark horror with the colorful palette of kids’ parks and toys.”

The tense and discordant music and sound design was handled by Jérémy Ben Ammar who the director previously worked with at Gobelins.
 
 
Rodrigo Sousa Teases Horror Mini Series Playground | STASH MAGAZINE

Rodrigo Sousa Teases Horror Mini Series Playground | STASH MAGAZINE

Rodrigo Sousa Teases Horror Mini Series Playground | STASH MAGAZINE

Rodrigo Sousa Teases Horror Mini Series Playground | STASH MAGAZINE

Rodrigo Sousa Teases Horror Mini Series Playground | STASH MAGAZINE
 
Director/animator: Rodrigo Goulão de Sousa

Music/sound design: Jérémy Ben Ammar