Eric Robison, who is a resident of Oahu, Hawaii, has spent the last eight and a half years creating this original, bizarre Fantasia in full technicolor prowess.
“It all started with one single sketch that I had done on a yellow-lined pad of paper. It was a thin character draped in a robe and donning a pointed Chinaman’s hat. It was just a ballpoint pen doodle, but the character spoke to me, and each day thereafter I built a world around him. Then one day I realized that the character had a world, but no story. So I had to write him a story as well.”
Before he knew it, Robison had painted over 300 background paintings, in watercolor, oil, gouache, and acrylic. “I still believe in traditional art forms, and I wanted to show the world a film that was created by hand.”
When viewing The Hollow Moon, the first thing that the viewer notices are his fearless, bold use of color. “Color has always been my strength; it just comes naturally to me, and the thicker the better.” These visuals coupled with the music and sounds that his son Tanner created, bring the viewer on an adventure like none other.
His son, Tanner, lives in China and teaches English. Music has been his passion. “I would send him small videos or pictures of certain scenes, and describe the feeling I wanted; a couple of weeks later, he would send me his musical interpretation of that vision,” says Eric. “It was remarkable to work with him half a world away. His soundtrack is absolutely brilliant.”
“The story takes place on an island, where the people notice that the Moon is depressed and can’t move. The Moons stillness throws nature out of order and everything begins to change. The boy [character] has an idea to save the Moon.
And, thus our tale begins.
The Hollow Moon has been shown in film festivals internationally and has won 13 awards worldwide.