Search form

Four Visionary Animation Artists Take on Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’

Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to fund four Vivaldi-inspired original animation works by Theodore Ushev , Atsushi Wada, Priit and Olga Pärn, & Anna Budanova launches July 25th.

Concept art by project supervisor Koji Yamamura.

TOKYO, Japan -- The Four Seasons Animation Concert Executive Committee announces that a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign is set to begin on July 25, 2017 to fund four original animation works inspired by Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Veteran NHK producer Mitsuko Okamoto leads the project alongside Oscar-nominated animation director Koji Yamamura, who serves as the project supervisor.

Yamamura has tapped four celebrated animation artists to create original animated short films for Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons concerti: Russian animator Anna Budanova, Spring; Priit Pärn and Olga Pärn, Summer; Atsushi Wada, Fall; and Theodore Ushev, Winter. The animation works will premiere on November 19, 2017 in a live performance at the Kitakyushu Hibiki Hall in Japan with Tokyo University of the Arts President Kazuki Sawa as lead violinist and conductor.

The Kickstarter campaign will complement the campaign on the Japanese crowdfunding site ReadyFor, which aims to raise 5 million yen (approximately US$45,000) by June 30. The Kickstarter campaign pre-launch website offers email registration for updates.

The project is spearheaded by faculty members at Tokyo University of the Arts, where Okamoto and Yamamura serve as professors in the Department of Animation. Ann Yamamoto of Pied Piper, Inc. is an assistant professor at the university and brings crowdfunding experience to the project. The Tokyo University of the Arts faculty members are donating their time toward the realization of this project, and the funds will be used to support the original animation productions by the four artists.

Source: Tokyo University of the Arts

Jennifer Wolfe's picture

Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.