An animation promoting good oral health and healthy eating for young children has been unveiled by the Lanarkshire Chinese Association (LCA) in support of the Chinese New Year.
New College Lanarkshire graduate Ruben Fernandez created the film designed to encourage regular tooth brushing and healthy eating choices. He was commissioned by the LCA while a student of ‘HND 3D Computer Animation’ at the College’s Motherwell Campus.
The three-minute-long animation had its debut at the bowling pavilion of Hamilton Palace Sports Ground as part of the LCA’s annual general meeting and Chinese New Year celebrations.
The film features a tiger cub character conceptualised by Ruben to reflect the fact that 2022 is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac.
Ruben, who is originally from Spain and now lives in Blantyre, said: “I felt so good when I finished the project and seeing that the association love the final product is a bonus point.
“I really enjoyed animating the character – this is the stage when you give it life and imagine his personality, how he speaks and how he acts.”
Lecturer Scott McKenzie, HND 3D computer animation course leader, said: “Ruben Fernandez’s stunningly-professional animated short will help to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of children of Lanarkshire’s Chinese community.
“Ruben’s educational animation promotes oral health and hygiene in a manner that is humorous, attractive to a young audience and beautifully executed.”
The Healthy Smiles project is funded by the Scottish Government through its oral health community challenge fund, which provides £35,810 over three years to improve oral health among infants and families in the Chinese community in Lanarkshire.
To watch the animation, visit: https://youtu.be/S9PeJEMc1mE
