an animated pseudo-doc investigating the world of armadillo mating
From world-renowned animation studio HouseSpecial and Director Kirk Kelley comes Armor del Amor – a kind of nature ‘documentary’ that follows the mating rituals of Dasypus novemcinctus to discover the dark underbelly of modern mammalian dating.
The narrative follows a nine-banded female armadillo as she emerges from her burrow and into the lonely Texas landscape. Our researchers captured footage of this modern animal’s efforts to find a potential mate until finally, after a few missed opportunities, a match is made.
News: HouseSpecial Tops Quarterly VFX & Animation Chart With "Armor del Amor" - Shoot Magazine
Awards:
Austin Comedy Short Film Festival - Austin, TX - Won Best Animated Comedy Film
Overmountain Animation Festival - East Tennessee State University - Won Best of Professional Award 2018
Concept Art
Creating an armadillo that looked and moved realistically was the main goal and challenge. They are funny little creatures with very distinctive movements that switch rapidly between languorous to twitchy.
Armadillo Variations
Behind-the-scenes Live Shoot
The biggest challenge was finding a location in Oregon that looked enough like Texas to work for the film. We landed in Dufur, Oregon, which is near the eastern Columbia River Gorge.