ABOUT
PROJECT
Original IP
FORMAT
Animated Short
THE COACH · PROOF OF CONCEPT · 26 SECONDS
· GALAXY WARRIORS · MUSIC VIDEO · 2:14 ·
An animated comedy about a coach who takes winning very, very seriously.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF GIRL-DAD STORY
The idea for The Coach began after watching my friend’s son’s pee-wee football game and thinking back on my own years playing competitive sports. I played varsity soccer, and while my own father was nothing like the Coach, I started imagining a larger-than-life version of the sports dads and coaches I had seen around me.
I wanted to tell a story through my own comedic lens of being a girl.
Angie Jones, Walton Raiders
A Story Worth Coming Back To
The Coach has been with me since 2003. Legendary Disney animator and story artist Floyd Norman created an early pass on the boards, and over the years I repeatedly tried to find a way to make the film. Whenever I could put some money toward it, I worked with artists and explored characters and production approaches. But producing the short independently through a traditional animation pipeline meant either raising considerably more money or spending years making it myself.
Emerging animation tools changed that equation. For the first time, I could see a path to bringing a story I had carried for more than twenty years to the screen without giving up creative control.
Early storyboards, 2004 by Floyd Norman
The Coach edit in Adobe Premiere Pro
The Coach. sketch by Angie Jones
The Coach. sketch by Willie Real
The Coach. sketch by Drew Edwards
The Coach. sketch by Angie Jones
TESTING THE CHARACTERS
Before committing to production on the animated short, I wanted to know whether the character designs could actually perform. This 26-second proof of concept wasn't intended to become part of the finished film. I created it to test the characters in motion: their appeal, physicality, expressions, and whether I could direct the kind of performance the story needed.
Created with Seedance 2, the test includes a continuous shot of roughly 20 seconds with multiple performance and action beats. The result gave me confidence that these characters could carry The Coach and potentially have a life beyond the short.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Coach is being developed as an animated short, with the characters and world designed to grow beyond the first film.
INTERESTED IN THE COACH?
For development, production, or partnership inquiries, contact
Angie Jones.