Three animation teams from Allen High School showcased their talents at the UIL State Film Festival, an event that recognizes the best student films across Texas. Competing in the digital animation category, students demonstrated creativity and storytelling, earning three of the top six spots in the state.
“Our students put in months of hard work to bring their stories to life, [and] seeing their efforts recognized at [the] state level is incredibly rewarding,” junior Raissa Viana said.
Among the films was “Beetle Days”, which claimed the title of State Champion. Created by seniors Efy Bryce, Jamie Boyce, Spencer Boyce, Luke Oliver Martinez and Mia Ponce De Leon, as well as juniors Raissa Viana and Logan Reed, the film captivated judges with its narrative and animation.
“The idea for Beetle Days was inspired by a real-life experience,” Vianna said. “Our director, [Efy Bryce], saw a student walking on a tree branch in a risky way, and that’s when she sort of came up with the idea for Beetle Days, where [the main character], Ishan is sort of peer pressured into doing this daring stunt to sort of appease the popular bullies.”
Finishing in second place in the same category was “Ghost Town”, produced by juniors Olivia Noh, Ashley Nguyen, Katie Le and senior Isabella Goh.
“We wanted to push the limits of what we could do visually,” Noh said. “Ghost Town had an incredible aesthetic, and it really paid off in competition.”
“Upswing”, the third film entry, secured sixth place. Juniors Araceli Thompson, Brianna Gomez, Raissa Viana, Kenneth Lieu, Katie Le, and seniors Jamie Boyce and Andrew Bright collaborated to bring the film to life through lots of team bonding.
“It takes a lot of teamwork to produce an animated short film,” Boyce said. “From scriptwriting to character design, storyboarding, and final animation, everyone has an important role.”
The UIL film competition requires students to create an animated short under three minutes in length, with an emphasis on originality and storytelling. Teams spend months refining their ideas, dividing tasks and working collaboratively.
“The best part of the process was how we bonded as a team,” Vianna said. “We weren’t just classmates working on a project, we became friends who supported each other every step of the way.”
Despite the time constraints and the intense workload, the teams persevered, even pulling late nights and working through school breaks to meet the submission deadline.
“We almost didn’t make it,” Vianna said. “But a few snow days gave us just enough extra time to finish strong.”
