Being able to make your ideas come to life is a cherished skill enjoyed by senior Maya Carris.
“Animation is about taking what’s in your head and figuring out how to make it real,” Carris said. “That’s the hardest part, but it’s also the most rewarding.”
Carris has spent the last three years bringing ideas to life one frame at a time. Her love for animation began long before she enrolled in the school’s animation program, sparked by classic Disney films and, more specifically, the behind-the-scenes footage that revealed the process of making those movies.
“I loved watching the cut storyboards and seeing how everything came together,” Carris said. “It made the process feel just as magical as the finished film.”
Carris joined the animation class during her sophomore year and quickly found her favorite parts of the process: storyboarding and character design. For her, character design is more than just drawing. It’s about communication. She draws inspiration from everyday surroundings, focusing on what animators call “shape language,” a concept that uses shapes and silhouettes to convey personality and emotion.
“If a character is short and round, you might think they’re softer or friendlier,” she explained. “Sharper angles can make a character feel mysterious or intimidating. Once you start noticing it, you see it everywhere.”
To animate her ideas, Carris uses a variety of tools, including Adobe Animate, Procreate Dreams and After Effects. Most of those are provided through the district’s Creative Cloud access Carris gains from being enrolled in specific courses. This year, she is working on her largest project yet: a nearly one-minute animation for the SCAD Challenge competition.
Despite her passion, animation hasn’t always been easy. Carris said one of her biggest challenges is translating fast-moving ideas into a clear, finished product.
“My brain moves really quickly,” she said. “Sometimes it’s hard to slow down and pinpoint exactly what I want so I can actually get it done.”
Through experience, she’s learned an important lesson: aiming too high too quickly can hold an artist back.
“Trying to force something in art never works,” she said. “You have to let ideas develop naturally.”
Carris credits much of her growth to practice and patience. Over time, her animation style has become more intentional, with stronger storytelling and more developed characters. Influenced by legendary animators like Don Bluth and Aaron Blaise, she continues to push herself creatively.
Looking ahead, Carris plans to pursue animation professionally and hopes to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design. After participating in SCAD’s Summer Seminar and Rising Star programs, she said she knows she’s on the right path.
“That was the moment when I realized, ‘I could really do this,’” Carris said.
For Carris, animation isn’t just an elective; it’s a future in motion.
