N.B. animator creating Saint John-set short film about anxiety, mental health

Brian Finlay, who runs the Toon Dojo, is pictured. (Source: Brian Finlay)

Brian Finlay has been working in the animation industry for 25 years, participating in projects with Disney and New Brunswick-based teams.

Nearly four years ago, he created “Ug Wug” — a feature-length movie that combines live action with animation to tell the story of the mythical creature of Reversing Falls in Saint John.

His next project will be made entirely with artists from the Port City, and he hopes it resonates in the community and beyond.

“I want to leave some kind of art piece in Saint John that means something not just to me, but the community,” Finlay said.

That project is called “Need a Little Help,” a 2D animated short film that follows SJ the seagull and an anxiety-riddled young turtle named Foggy. The story is set on the shores of the Reversing Falls.

“I was diagnosed with arthritis, so every year it’s harder and harder for me to draw,” Finlay said. “I got thinking that I wanted to make a film that touches on something I can relate to, which is mental health. I’ve had struggles with depression. By creating a storyline that touched on that vein, it helps keep me excited.

“There’s a lot of people in Saint John dealing with the same thing. There’s an audience that will connect with it.”

Finlay, who runs the animation workshop Toon Dojo, said after spending much of his career in television and feature films, he’s excited by the brevity of this project.

“Short format stuff appeals to my ADHD brain, and I don’t say that in jest,” he said. “I get a major rush on the short format thing. This project, I estimate, will take about a year to produce because I’m the primary artist.”

Finlay doesn’t plan to work alone on the project. He’s collaborating with Laura Gatien & Associates Counselling Services to help with the message of mental health in the film, and recording artist Curtis Basque from Basque Studios.

“It’s a bootstrap project,” he said.

Once the film is complete, Finlay hopes to take it for a small run at festivals before making it free to watch online.

“We’ll put it anywhere and everywhere that will have it,” he said. “No gatekeeping. It’s meant to be Saint John’s contribution to Canadian animated shorts.

“It’s all about Saint John.”

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