Hi everyone,
After spending the past months developing my animated film Armstrong-D.U., which is currently under consideration by a producer, I finally allowed myself to return to another project that has been quietly living in my head for a while.
This one is called Dog's Land.
The idea is simple in spirit but ambitious in tone:
Tom & Jerry style cartoon logic, but with emotional self-awareness.
The screenplay is already written, and I’m currently developing the pitch package, exploring visual designs that capture the tone and energy of the world.
Here is the core concept:
Logline
In a neighborhood where cats push dogs out of their homes, an idealistic dog creates Dog’s Land, a garbage-built sanctuary for dogs like him. But when a memory-altering invention is twisted into a plan to turn dogs into mind-controlled servants by a group of fanatic cats, he must confront the cat who started it all.
But what I’m particularly curious about is the visual language of the film.
The images above show a small experiment I’ve been exploring.
My intention is not stylized 3D pretending to be 2D, but rather:
Classic 3D animation that obeys the physical logic of 2D cartoons.
Meaning:
• exaggerated squash and stretch
• impossible facial distortions
• extreme poses
• objects bending and warping like in classic 90s animation
• environments that feel slightly crooked and elastic
Think of the visual energy of Ren & Stimpy, but without the grotesque or gross-out elements. The goal is to capture that expressive intensity while keeping the world appealing and emotionally grounded.
The environments themselves would also reflect this language:
lamp posts bending, garbage cans warping, houses leaning slightly giving the entire suburb a playful, unstable cartoon logic.
Musically, the tone would be driven by Big Band / Swing Jazz, giving the world a chaotic, energetic suburban rhythm.
So I’d love to hear from animators here:
How do you think classic 2D cartoon physics could translate into a fully 3D animated feature?
Do you think audiences would embrace that hybrid language?
Or would it require a very delicate balance to make the world feel coherent?
Curious to hear your thoughts on concept and technical thoughts.
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This looks fantastic Alex Olguin - nicely done!!
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Looks great! Good luck with it.
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This sounds like a genuinely exciting project — the idea of 3D animation that obeys 2D cartoon physics rather than just mimicking the aesthetic is a really sharp distinction, and the Big Band/Swing Jazz sonic world feels like a perfect match for that kind of elastic, chaotic energy. The logline has real heart underneath the cartoon logic too, which is exactly what separates memorable animation from pure spectacle. For those who've worked in or studied animation — do you think the key to making that hybrid visual language feel coherent is consistency of rules, or is it more about the emotional grounding of the characters anchoring an otherwise unstable world?
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Leonardo Ramirez Thanks, It's been a long journey to this point.
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Bob Harper Thank you, I really love doing this, it's funny that it started as a hobby.
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Sam Rivera Yes! It is right that, the idea is to anchor the phisicality of 2d classic slapstick animation in 3d, I know it's technically difficult but the final result as you see in the render may be actually very impressive and I dare to say iconic. I want it to feel like an episode of Tom and Jerry but with a tiny bit of animal farm in it but also emotionaly selfaware. The characters punch each other, hit eachother with bats and they fall from heights to the ground with no phisical harm but emotionaly the wounds are very real.
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Beautiful work! I feel like you articulated the concept very cleanly. The way the story is told, through unique and engaging visual techniques, makes it stand out. I liked the tom and jerry comp. The description reminded me a little of Animaniacs, in that the cats use inventions to take over and control.
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I love the photos! So excited for your project :)
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Maria Restivo Glassner Thank you, I'm not great at drawing so It did take a lot of time to do this, overall it's a concept that payes omage to the classic cartoons.
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Sydney S Thank you. I've put a lot of effort. I have way much more art about this, I just chose this one because is my fauvorite.
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This looks fantastic. Just the time of extreme artwork needed in the 3D space.
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Kevin Jackson Thank you I think the same.
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Congratulations on Armstrong-D.U. being under consideration by a producer, @Alex! Dog's Land sounds fun and incredible! I like both animation styles in the picture, especially the bottom style! I like the idea of having a hybrid language! I'm looking forward to seeing how Dog's Land looks on screen!
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Thanks, it's been a long way to this point, and I'm very expectant to what Armstrong-D.U. can become in the future but I'm really having fun with this too!
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It looks really good! Cats really do push dogs around. Just one slap and the dog's off whining.
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Alex. You know I GOTTA read this one too lol send it over when you get a chance.