A girl embarks to travel the world, only to discover that she cannot escape herself

Anyone who’s ever travelled alone will quickly relate to this one. And anyone who hasn’t will quickly wish they have after watching ‘Da Sola’. This wonderful sketch-like animation is created by Morgan Gruer, who’s been shooting out some impressive films including ‘Reflections‘ and ‘Ghosted‘. Running just over two minutes, ‘Da Sola’ is about a girl who embarks to travel the world, only to discover that she cannot escape herself.

“Da Sola” (italian for “alone”), was inspired by my experience as a woman traveling alone pre-pandemic.

Although the world of travel is on pause at the moment, the sentiment of learning how to be alone in a new place is more relevant than ever. I hope that it can be a reminder to take these lessons of independence and solitude with us even after the pandemic.

The style is executed in an illustrative 2D animation style reminiscent of my sketchbook. My sketchbook is my constant companion wherever I go; it keeps me company, keeps me curious, and keeps me grounded. It was only fitting to express this story in the visual style of my sketchbook with loose, seemingly unfiltered thoughts.

Like much of Morgan’s films, the rotoscoping illustrated style is transient. Leaving you full of feels and felt connections, particularly with the added emphasis highlighted on these connections. One day we will travel again, and all these feelings will come back.

The rotoscope footage was shot with a variety of media. The landscapes were shot with my iPhone as I traveled on-the-go. For the figurative shots, I enlisted filmmaker Brendan Hall to shoot reference footage that I later comped together with the landscapes.

We used a Canon C300 Mark II with a Canon 24-105mm zoom lens.