Animation Imagination is an independent project by FableVision Studios’ summer 2021 interns

As children watch cartoons with wide, excited eyes, some may wonder how their favorite characters come alive on screen. To help children broaden their horizons and learn about creative careers in the arts, musical podcast Animation Imagination brings them behind the scenes of the animation industry. 

“I wanted to integrate music and animation because the podcast showcases people who love to make art, and music is the art that I love to make,” says FableVision production intern and Animation Imagination creator and host Mona Tavangar. “The personal musical touch also supports the learning goals of the project by educating children in a fun and engaging way. I wanted to explore creating content for kids and gain experience moving through the production process.”

Hosted by Musical Mona, the podcast series helps children in kindergarten-third grade understand animation careers, teamwork, and creative learning. Through interviews and musical recaps of key ideas, the first episode features FableVision’s Lead Artist Christina Kelly as she discusses her character design process and encourages children to work creatively and collaboratively. 

“I like to draw blobs in my sketchbook and then draw over them with pencil,” says Christina. “Sometimes it’s hard to come up with an idea of what to draw. In that case, I like to turn my brain off, draw a shape as weird as I possibly can, and try to make something out of the shape.” 

Listen to the episode now to learn more about Christina’s art journey, her recommendations for children who want to draw, and why she loves adding hats to her characters. Check out Christina’s artwork below!

The images above feature Christina’s vampire character designs done for Hero4Hire Creative for a Hub commercial; cat character designs for A Rhino Named Paul musical shorts for the Curious World app; and rabbit character designs done for the Astroblast! TV series.

Animation Imagination was created by FableVision production intern Mona Tavangar with help from marketing intern Nadya Karpova. Special thanks to our internship coordinators and supervisors Sarah Ditkoff and Melissa Schoeller for their guidance and support, and to Christina Kelly for her time and unique insights about creating characters. Learn more about FableVision’s internship program and how to apply here.

Listen to the trailer and the first episode on SoundCloud.

Meet the Summer 2021 Interns

Mona Tavangar

Where are you from? Lexington, MA—where the American Revolution started!

School and major: Double major in psychology and music at Tufts University.

Position: Production Management Intern.

Portfolio: linkedin.com/in/mona-tavangar/ (portfolio coming soon!)

What’s your journey to FableVision story? FableVision is a coveted and popular place to intern among Tufts students, and an advisor at Tufts suggested I reach out to Sarah Ditkoff to learn more. I loved chatting with her and was drawn to the company's vibrant website and culture. I had always wanted to try production, so I put my hat in the ring and am so happy it worked out!

What skills have you gained during your FableVision summer? I have learned so much about the production process for animation and game development projects. I've sharpened my organization and communication skills and developed my eye for detail, especially when testing games. I've loved jumping into different projects and meeting so many amazing people! It's been a great summer.

Favorite song or music genre? I love ABBA! The world of Mamma Mia is the best.

Favorite cartoon character? SpongeBob forever!

Nadya Karpova

Where are you from? I’m from Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, but I grew up in Brookline, MA.

School and major: M.S. in Public Relations at Boston University.

Position: Marketing Intern.

Portfolio: nadyakarpova.wixsite.com/site/portfolio 

What’s your journey to FableVision story? As an undergraduate student at Boston College, I learned about FableVision when I took Paul Reynolds’ film and TV production class. FableVision continued to stay in the back of my mind while I worked for several years in client services because I realized that I want a career in the children’s media industry. In my graduate media relations class at Boston University, the stars aligned as I worked on a project for The Reynolds Center with Paul and Andrea Calvin. I applied for the marketing internship, hoping to get my foot in the door of this company and the industry, and here I am!

What skills have you gained during your FableVision summer? I improved my writing and social media skills. I hope to work on a variety of communication projects in the future, so it’s been great to write blogs, social media posts, and case studies about FableVision’s fun portfolio and amazing staff. I also enjoyed learning about the animation and game design pipeline—I feel better equipped to work in this industry.

Favorite song or music genre? I love music from the ‘80s, especially Modern Talking.

Favorite cartoon character? Cheburashka, “an animal unknown to science,” and Kot Matroskin, a witty and sensible cat. Created by author Eduard Uspensky, the adorable animals then turned into popular Soviet cartoons.