The Mandrake

Herman, a farmer content to live out his life alone out in the woods, tends his garden day in and day out. Except for the regulars that come to his market to buy his giant carrots and radishes, he rarely gets visitors. When a witch approaches his cottage one day, asking for a special ingredient and supplying a spell, he is understandably shaken. He wakes up the next morning to the cries of a screaming baby, unaware that his life has taken an incredible turn. Inspired by the work of Beatrix Potter, Ernest H. Shepard, and other children’s book illustrators of the 20th century, The Mandrake relied heavily on the hands of its artists. Hand-drawn characters, backgrounds, shadows, props, and effects populate the film and fill out the small world in the woods. Special care was taken to create a bond between the titular Mandrake and Herman, drawing inspiration from the experiences of our faculty advisor as a young mother. Powered by the imaginations of many incredible women, this film went from concept to animation to post-production in the inspiring city of Savannah, Georgia.