Dark Dark Woods

Young princess Maria has had about enough of her royal life - it’s all lesson, responsibilities and duties on top of each other, every hour of every day. Overwhelmed, Maria is swept away on an adventure into the monster-filled dark, dark woods.
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DARK DARK WOODS was made by a team of 3rd year Character Animation & CG Art students at The Animation Workshop/VIA Univiersity College in Viborg, Denmark. Check out the individual students blogs (links below) to learn more about the talent behind the film!
CREDITS
Emile Gignoux
Director - emilegignoux.po...
Mik Løvenbalch Kirchheiner
Lead Animator/Production Manager - www.mikkirchhei...
Lillith Pilgaard Knudsen
Co-Art Director/Technical Art Director/Production Manager - / luluthir
Julia Mika Andersson
Character Design Lead/Animator - www.miikanism.com/
Nicole Fortes
Animator/BG Artist/Visual Development Artist - thefortafolio.b...
Alexandre Hatimi
Animator/Storyboard/Story Artist - alexandre-hatim...
Louise Emilie Hovgård
2D Character and FX Animation/Character Design/Storyboarding - louisehovgard.b...

[@Hana1LuLu]

My favorite detail of all of them is the hall of the royal families. You can see how each daughter is first little, then the next mother. They kept it/showed consistency and I looovvve it.

[@Summersloth1482]

Hana1LuLu what about the dog ))))):

[@annblessing7175]

Hana1LuLu 😇

[@vladtepes2667]

The one with red hair looked odd.

[@Linnytic]

I know right

[@Deutalios818]

So, the royal family is inbred?

[@SplendidBeans]

This is beautiful! I love the idea that the King and Queen aren't afraid to have fun too. What's a life without laughter?

[@nieznajomy4398]

Reality. ;)

[@nak8490]

Sometimes you gotta have a little fun in your life.

[@aviniciussouza100]

Nieznajomy43 Now, it's called boriness. Everyone should have some fun, even if it is just a little. Now if you are too stupid to have some fun, that's your problem.

[@chryssiiiart257]

Nothing

[@aikoplayz0599]

Kat Turrie yep

[@SacredSpirit1337]

Okay, those have to be some of the most adorable harmless shadow demons I’ve seen. Question, were they just part of a dream or her imagination, or were they real? I noticed the one she held in her arms disappeared before she woke up with her parents.

[@happyheartstv1431]

Nah I think they’re real they just left before she woke up to play with someone else

[@crinklyonion1410]

It’s all up to what you take from the short.

[@lyn292]

probably not real, but my theory is, maybe they were real you know one of the mentors had a leaf on their head maybe they transformed into the shadows to help the little girl try to tucker herself out for tomorrows lesson but that's just what I think.

[@crristox]

I guess that not everything that's red it's supposed to be evil

[@KesorodaBlk]

Cristóbal Alarcón Yeah!

[@samarumanalo2827]

And black!

[@oceanusprocellarum6853]

A rose

[@Womanmoment.]

And with skulls

[@RoleplayHost]

goths

[@8-bitfin768]

I love how at the beginning the colors are dull but then when Maria gets into the woods the colors turn brighter

[@homebrewHousehold]

That was adorable. And I like how the king and queen are willing to play with her and not get on to her for being herself.

[@eDrIClImOAnCo]

Far away from a distant castle A little girl so bold and humble But bound by law of word to heed, A doleful life of chores and deed. Set out loose the wild and dark, Let monsters lift the leaves to bark. For not of duty to stray her path, All shall bend her playful wrath.

[@HollowDM902]

This needs to be longer

[@eDrIClImOAnCo]

ramnath nanthakumar It is what it meant to be. :)

[@ItzJackFrost14]

Queen of the Woods

[@samarumanalo2827]

The poem fit for this video. Whats next Edric L?

[@eDrIClImOAnCo]

@@samarumanalo2827 Hibernation

[@professorroundbottom438]

This reminds me of my own parents. Something they did every year was to take a family trip in February to go skiing. It was nice to do it just then because it was during a long spell with no school holidays or long weekends. One year the school administration got cocky and tried to tell my parents they couldn't pull me and my brother out of school for a vacation. My parents replied that they most certainly could and then they did. I don't know if the school tried to do anything about it, but if they did, I heard nothing of it. Yay for Mom and Dad!

[@amittenforkitten7016]

Geez. My school won't let me miss days even if i'm sick without it counting against something.

[@kosmoboo]

Ehm, here I would get a large fine if I take my kids out of school for that.

[@convolutedclarity]

Youre parents seem way different than mine were, I still had to go to school when I had a horrible virus that made all my nails peel off.

[@aliciasandoval6552]

o

[@little0rphan431]

Idc, loser

[@cristaltophat]

Animation Summary: *"Yeah, lets Break Some Rules!!!"*

[@harlowitter3060]

Good moral in my book 😁

[@destinymcintire2188]

As said by Bugs Bunny himself: "Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out of it alive!"

[@Dracophile7]

At least for today

[@Ashman792]

I definitely caught a Tomm Moore vibe from this animation. Overall outstanding stylization and movement. Great character designs too, I loved it

[@helveciarocha8574]

Ashman792 p

[@rileyswift3479]

I like the video cause it's good with a happy ending

[@samirasantana4855]

😯😯😈

[@عبدالرحمنالحربي-ه6ي9ف]

ا

[@عبدالرحمنالحربي-ه6ي9ف]

@@rileyswift3479 ا

[@Enter_the_Toshiverse_1996]

I love how there isn't any dialogue whatsoever and the story is conveyed entirely through the animation.

[@CherrieMengu]

So if the passaging of the heirs are by the princess to princess. Then the queen is the highest position of the kingdom?

[@RoleplayHost]

haha, chess

[@java_t3acup891]

Checkmate

[@starchives2365]

Possibly. Its also possible that each new step in the lineage is married off to another kingdom, or that the kings marry into the kingdom. Either way, its certainly a cool detail

[@geocentricism1106]

I love the little detail that the crown is passed down through the women. so much thought went into this it is incredible!!

[@Akymma]

"The forces of darkness at your service my Lady, have you called?"

[@Womanmoment.]

This is beautiful I like how the critters look so menacing but,are very sweet and joyful!

[@destinymcintire2188]

As said by Bugs Bunny himself: "Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out of it alive!"

[@davidbettcher8843]

😊

[@Red-Magic]

I have to admit something; this is by far my favorite short. Not even Disney's shorts (although fantastic already) warm my heart as much as this. Thank you, Animation Workshop.

[@TheGreyscaleRainbow]

I'm so happy I found this! I fell in love with this short when it was screened at a Studio Ghibli showing through Fathom Events. Now I can watch it and share it with my friends. It's definitely a favorite short that I've seen this year at these special theater events. The stylistic choices are charming, as well as the story. I also liked how the limited frame rate worked for this film without being distracting! The aesthetics remind me of Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, which are films I love very much.

[@ryantheanimator1156]

Not bad!! I was surprised how cheerful and lighthearted the short was, and the art style really resemble secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. Also, glad to see the ending was not dark and twisted like some animated shorts with kids and monsters I have seen on YT. ^_^

[@metricencounters7178]

Hey Kratos how's you're son doing on that archery skills I think he is doing well what about you

[@jeffcalandra1887]

thank you! when it faded out at the end I was worried the monster would kill them or something?! But no! It was pure cuteness!

[@merrittanimation7721]

I mean considering those movies if going by the art style alone you'd expect at least one person to get grievously injured at the very least

[@prodrigon5156]

Boy!

[@samarumanalo2827]

Yeahand good luck killing all of those gods Kratos!

[@theasterdood02]

Finally I found this masterpiece after all these years. I've been searching "Animation about a princess that goes on a magical adventure". Thank God I found it.

[@miserirken]

This is like if Tom Moore and Viv Medrano both make something together...

[@iliketurtles3529]

Seab The Doggo Haha, yeah.

[@xuriess9102]

I love Vivziepop:00

[@وارث-ك2ر]

Seab The Doggo ماشاء لله على الرسام

[@Crescent1400]

Xuriess Yeah Vivziepop is awesome.

[@speen598]

True but I might have like a bit of violence and swearing

[@ajcabrera8578]

I saw this on FB. I came here because of the animation style, I love it. Especially the background setting. The shape of the trees, the color gradients, and those little monsters-- they were scary at first but became adorable because their personalities came out. I didn't know this was 7 years ago.

[@sarahprice659]

Those trees remind me of our wisteria. Every year we cut it way back. Every year it all grows back and tries to eat the house.

[@pichugirl]

The art is somewhat similiar to the secret of kells, i love it!

[@keman501]

this was beautiful and fun

[@عبدالرحمنالحربي-ه6ي9ف]

ا

[@tuesdaywithanh]

With a title like "dark dark woods" I thought it would be scary, but it was actually really cute.

[@ytuser3982]

@@tuesdaywithanh same, i feel the title doesn't fit it at all

[@ubermenschnuts81]

@@ytuser3982 it does

[@glowworm2]

I fell in love with this one instantly. Such lovely animation and such an adorable story.

[@lydiamack4609]

Out of all the short student animations I watch during my free time, this is one of the ones I frequently come back to. I really love the simplicity of the art style and the unique backgrounds and characters. The colors are so pretty, and it is so smooth. I just friggin love this so much!! It makes me so happy 💕💕

[@witherxd3345]

This is one of my favorite animated short films of all time. DAMN the lighting! Its cute, its got an amazing score, and its a wholesomefest! I love this!

[@kiwikiwi5944]

The character designs, especially for the creatures, make me feel so joyful!

[@LongerTomTV]

OH. MY. GOD. I'm speechless! Beautiful BGs, character design, animation, story, and music! This animation is on such high level that I just... can't... even... I love this! Bravo!

[@toasterstrooder8628]

This is a wonderful short in just about every sense of the word.

[@MrDanINSANE]

This is pure magic! Amazing job very impressive!

[@myvideos37]

This is so beautiful!! The animation style, the colors, the lighting and shading, the sound effects, the character designs, all the little details.. so amazing!! If I could, I would give this 1000 likes

[@Lemoncakelover678]

And it's really pleasant to see kids and monsters shorts being so light hearted and fun to watch. Recommend it.

[@shkedovb]

As a composer - brilliant music, perfect for every scene. couldn't be better!

[@TheChocolatiie]

the backgrounds and environments on this short are amazingggg

[@xaosbob]

This is lovely. I adore the background design, the musical integration, the shifting palettes, and of course the narrative. Too often, however, the animation is so choppy it is difficult to follow movement and get a real feel of the characters' interaction with each other and the space around them. More in-betweening was needed to make this feel like a finished film, but I love what was done.

[@samarumanalo2827]

Sooooo 4 out of five stars? Or 4 and a half out of 5 stars?

[@RoleplayHost]

pretty constructive critism if you ask me

[@bonniemoon6790]

This was absolutely wonderful. Reminds me of when I was a child.

[@dimo2081]

2:16 okay, who summoned the Master of Masters, the Deliverer of Darkness, the Shogun of Sorrow, Aku?

[@kr0tyara]

Pizza delivery, I guess?

[@Altairio]

is it me or did the first king of the paintings kind of looks like JonTron

[@CrossfacePanda]

David Guillen Well, there's a little green feathered bird on his shoulder too, so the reference is pretty blatant ;).

[@plushedboy]

not sure if mine is a reach, but the king in the 3rd painting looks like arin!!

[@CrossfacePanda]

YllwMonky456 Not enough chins. And really, Arin's not a red head, and if anything the queen in the 4th painting looks more like Suzy than the one in the 3rd. Also, speaking of the 4th painting, it's weird how the daughter in it is blonde when the parents have dark hair. I know it's technically possible if somebody from further back in the family line was blonde, but still, feels like they where trying to say something here...

[@CrossfacePanda]

YllwMonky456 I was talking about left to right already. And like I said, Arin is not a red head (which the king in the second painting to the left is), nor does he have just a mustache. It simply look nothing like him, so it'd be quite the big stretch to equate it to Arin, and I think seeing him in it is simply projecting based on the fact that one of the others clearly is Jon. And regarding the one to the far left I honestly didn't see the king's blonde hair on my screen, it just looked like he was bald with a big head and neck :P. I do see it now though, so now it's much less confusing,

[@jecarrari6150]

David Guillen y uuy6yu IP

[@scarlettwestfall3060]

I saw this short before a movie and I really loved it a lot! Glad to see it on KZbin

[@JameisonAus_YouTube]

Always gotta respect animation channels the amout of time and effort to make one minute look good in general

[@annoyingkid48]

Dang, major song of the sea/secret of kells vibes.

[@FrogTonic]

The head shape scared me for a second, but then I watched it and my fears were alleviated.

[@the-cheeze-ity6487]

I love this and was deeply mistaken when the shadow demon creatures showed up. Oh it puts a smile on my face

[@TheGreatestBaryonyx]

A - the fact that this was made 7 years ago and still looks amazing scares me... and B - it gives me major RayMan Legends vibes with some of the music and swarm of shadow monsters. Its a genuinely great animation and one I still remember to this day.

[@rayrodriguez7838]

This deserves way more attention! This is what I aspire to be when I'm older, now I feel way more encouraged to try. Fantastic job!

[@Rickardo9828]

The visuals are impressive as always but I think this one stands out with it's amazing sound design. Overall fantastic story and characters, mighty impressive. I'm very excited to see what the next short stories has to offer.

[@TheJeremyWithVoices]

The darkness isn't always what it seems.

[@miggypalacios2403]

this kind of reminds of star vs the forces of evil

[@amarylily]

Miggy Palacios hey you're kinda right omg

[@vixenthedemonfoxvixen9831]

I can see how you would think that

[@samarumanalo2827]

Maybe this IS her ;)

[@Anya_Mouth-washing]

1:47 looks like Marco

[@overlokoteli]

YES FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT

[@XxfrazzlexX]

I love how their expressions change in the portraits at the beginning and end 😁 it’s a nice detail, not only that but I love the style of the whole thing 😁

[@didinos665]

This is such a great animation, I don’t even have to explain why. All I’ll say is that it’s magical and that I’d love to join

[@kieronireikets7884]

This played in front of My Neighbor Totoro in my theatre. Congrats. :3

[@garretwoeller7669]

See lovely style lovely substance most people can't write books or make movies as good as this dialogueless short film just tells you something about the industry

[@marlinbundo2409]

Love the decision to eschew dialogue in favor of more subtle expressions and artistic style to tell the story

[@kaylaroblee9816]

I would love to have a short video game made out of this, and in the same art style. You could explore the castle and each room is like a point and click puzzle. There are different monsters in each room and each one has a different ability that can help you go to the next room if you use them correctly. The story progresses in the same way, and the goal is to get the girl to her mother and father at the last level. Please someone do this ;-: I need this in my life

[@futabanarugonzalez3399]

This needs to be a series

[@boncarlo9391]

It's okay to have a break and have your imagination run wild every now and then

[@ryttyr14]

First impressions: I love that little fun-ball of a princess, I had a feeling the monsters weren't evil from the moment I saw them and for some reason I thought of her main monster friend as Kevin for whatever reason. Anyways, I loved this little animation. The world wouldn't be the same without fun and laughter.

[@MithrosX]

Animation is great! The sound quality is also really superb too, which was a pleasant surprise! Would recommend using good headphones to watch this! :)

[@danielhopkins5281]

Who knew the Darkness was so cute

[@ceilingeye]

This is very much a Where the Wild Things Are story and I LOVE IT

[@safir2241]

I feel like I’m watching a silent film. Amazing!

[@Nitanima]

This is so beautiful and adorable! (just what I needed). Everyone who worked on this should be really proud of their hard work x3 May I ask if this was partially inspired by The secret of Kells?

[@Lemuel928]

Yes.

[@littlebrokendoll4498]

The floating black monster-ish things with the white faces really remind me of spirited away, as do the small round ones

[@Mtofhills]

Adorable poofy haired princess!!

[@bettyfriday1103]

Who ever made this is a genius

[@ori6990]

I love how you draw! it reminds me of a carton saloon movie

[@IornFoxYT]

Really You had to wait till 4am to recommend me this youtube

[@bookary6454]

Every princess has their own world where everything is fun and away from problems and jobs. but those problems can also be turned into fun

[@Death_Gremlin]

Daw I liked the little shadow creatures :3

[@MRsteampunkFilms]

I got a slight song of the sea vibe and loved it :D who cant smile at that end.

[@dess3316]

DontBeBored me

[@samarumanalo2827]

A MONSTER

[@DysLexiah]

Is t just me or are the noises from the creature satisfying

[@Julia-dj7kp]

This diserves more likes, I love how the animation turned out 😍 Good job!

[@soggyrats]

This animation passed the vibe test :)

[@simeridraws]

definitely one of my favs from your awesome school!

[@Junkie-tu9pj]

Simon Eriksson u

[@oliver1435]

69 th like

[@geodude7135]

I like how that crown is just yeeted out of existence. This short film is so well animated and I love it!!!

[@jaegerfoxx]

The animation style reminds me of The Secret of Kells - very well done

[@wingedcoco]

It is like 'Don't force someone to be who they don't want to be'...

[@_emly_]

If Cartoon Saloon and Emily Carroll collabed, it would look something similar to this. Loved it! So cute!

[@twi9125]

my heart,,, this is so precious + pure,,,

[@scraps7240]

This animation has such a great moral to it! You did an amazing job!

[@querilloquerilian]

Wow awesome. Cartoon saloon shoulda take a look at this

[@sapphirebrillar8217]

Awh, is it me or the tiny dark creature is very cute *QwQ*

[@parilovespokemon3317]

Gives me song of the sea vibes & WolfWalkers

[@When_did_they_add_handles]

That was surprisingly cheerful and I am okay with that.

[@BLS31]

A short about someone growing up, being saddled with more responsibilities that they either don't want or don't think they can handle, with the dark creatures that surround you coming closer until...they realize they're not that bad at all. I get it now.

[@tonimauge3907]

1:52 Maria's parents must be heavy sleepers.

[@burblethewhale624]

she must've been doing a really good job to have gotten an applause like that at the beggining

[@lordbaionz]

The cartoon style greatly reminds me of Steven Universe. I love this.

[@CyberSaurian]

Or Gravity Falls

[@brokenheart3830]

I am 8 years old and this made me not scared of the dark anymore! Although i do sleep with my parents, but when I’m scared, i just go next to my mom closely

[@dito6254]

2:00 At that moment, I thought the castle architect was a deserter.

[@hanumappan2609]

Loved it sooooo much especially those creatures and my most favourite of them all is that really tiny one

[@bunnaysanga7688]

I love all the adorable monsters!! 😆😊

[@Kraigon42]

Everything about this is adorable.

[@redx1772]

That was adorable!😍😍😍

[@thomasford2032]

I feel like this is a story about childhood rebeliousness and how kids will be kids no matter how much responsibility they are given.

[@Fox_in_Thoughts]

I like how we see at the end, the beautiful portrait of the royal family...and then disheveled mom and dad XD Shows that they aren't all proper all the time either ;)

[@siri5705]

That was unexpectedly wholesome

[@robbiehosegood]

this is so sweet