Producing Animation: Takashi Washio (Magic Candies)
© Toei Animation
Oscar-nominated short Magic Candies (Dir. Daisuke Nishio) takes a gorgeous, magical realist approach to exploring the ideas of empathy and perspective through the eyes of children. It follows Dongdong, a lonely child who discovers a bag of candies that anthropomorphises objects around him. Through a more light hearted conversation with his sofa, he learns a remote is lodged in its side, but conversations with his dog, trees, his late grandmother and his seemingly strict father opens Dongdong’s eyes to how much he’s loved, how big and beautiful the world around him really is, allowing him to finally form relationships with kids his age.
The look of Magic Candies is just as impressive as its storytelling, using CG to take on a stop-motion look and feel. This adds real tactility to Magic Candies, but allows for its scope to be huge. Magic Candies carries with it the prestige of being a Toei Animation production, produced by Takashi Washio who served a similar role on the 1999 One Piece series and has been around in the Japanese industry for decades. Skwigly caught up with Washio to discuss the original concept, the types of stories we tell about children and achieving the complex look of the short.
How did you come up with the concept of Magic Candies?
The original work is a Korean picture book. This was my first experience reading a Korean picture book, and I was deeply moved by the clay animation-like style of expression and the subtle emotional portrayal of the protagonist, a young boy. Inspired by this, I felt strongly about adapting it into a film, so I personally met with the author, Ms. Baek Hee-na, to request her permission.
Is it important to you to tell stories about empathy? Do you think it’s a skill more children need to learn?
I believe it is very important to project one’s own feelings onto the characters in a work. The realization that others feel the same way we do about the thoughts and emotions we experience helps affirm our sense of self. If children can learn this sense from an early age, I believe they will grow up to be kind adults who show empathy towards others.
Children are also increasingly suffering from loneliness, was this a consideration for the film?
I believe that there have always been introverted children—I was one myself. So when I first read this story, I immediately thought, “Dongdong is me!” I imagine many viewers will feel the same way. If audiences, including adults, watch this film and realize, “I’m not the only one who feels lonely,” I hope it gives them the courage to take a step forward, just like Dongdong.
How much of the visual design was taken from the picture book? What did you add in yourself?
To ensure that we stayed true to the essence of the original work, we had numerous discussions with Director Nishio and the team. While preserving the clay animation-like charm of the characters, we aimed to broaden the world in which the protagonist lives, suggesting that his world will expand greatly in the future. The cityscape scene at the beginning and the final moment with the falling leaves were designed with a sense of beauty and openness in mind, emphasizing a world full of possibilities.
© Toei Animation
The CGI has the look and feel of stop motion, how did you achieve that look and why did you choose this direction?
I believed it was important to express the warmth and simplicity of the original work. It was also a challenge to translate the unique style of the picture book into CGI animation. If we had made it with stop-motion animation, I don’t think we would have been able to expand the original world as much as we aimed for. On the technical side of CGI, the staff went through trial and error, especially when working on textures such as clothing and skin. For the character movements, instead of making them move smoothly like in full 3D animation, we adopted the technique of using limited frames, similar to what is used in 2D cel animation, to express movements that fit the character design.
Magic Candies is yet another example of Japanese animation being received well internationally, has this changed how the animation industry functions in Japan?
I think it’s probably difficult for a small short film to make an impact on the Japanese animation industry. However, by receiving recognition on a global scale, I believe we can raise awareness about the importance of creating works that can be enjoyed by both adults and children. Audiences laugh at the comedic scenes, are drawn to the visual artistry, and resonate with the protagonist’s emotions. If we continue creating works that touch the hearts of many, it might not only influence the Japanese animation industry, but also have a wider impact on the world.
The 97th Academy Awards take place on March 2nd 2025 at 7pm ET/4pm ET (March 3rd at 12 am GMT)