Megan LeBaron
Dream Nurse
Dream Nurse tells the story about Nova Starlette, who possesses the supernatural ability to heal nightmares. The animation has soft and adorable characters for both the protagonists and antagonists. Inspiration for the story comes from the concept of magical girls and how feminine figures can be powerful and stay pretty at the same time.
Artist/Thesis Statement
I am making an animated short titled Dream Nurse, which features a tiny dream nurse named Nova and her pet Owl Bear Moth, Luna. Together, the two are on a mission to heal the nightmares of their assigned child, Stella. If Nova and Luna fail their mission, they will lose their immortality.
My reason for doing this project is my interest in the human mind and how it can simulate life through dreams; as well as how sometimes our traumas and fears can harm these dreams. Furthermore, I wanted to go for a concept that would be more lenient and less based on something such as my original idea of incorporating humanoid dreamcatchers that derived from the Ojibwe tribe. The message I want my audience to perceive from this story is that despite our worries and the mistakes we make along the way, we can overcome our obstacles.
For this animation, I am referencing pop culture through the gashopon machine used at the beginning of the short. Also, I am taking inspiration from magical girl shows and how my character, Nova, is a female who possesses supernatural abilities through the tools she uses when healing these nightmares. Furthermore, I am copying the trope of these magical girls having magical pets as their sidekicks. In this instance, Nova has her pet Owl Bear Moth. Examples of series that follow this trope include Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Bee and Puppycat.
