Jean-Ellis Gbessia
The Funeral of Foster Green is a 2D animated Horror concept about a boy who moves to a caravan village on the outskirts of a small town in rural Portland with his mother. During the lonely summer holidays Foster befriends Mrs Miller, a witch who unbeknownst to him tries to possess Foster in an attempt to use his body as a vessel to reincarnate her dead daughter.
My area of focus for fourth year was visual development for feature and TV animatione and so the main objectives of this project were to complete visual development project including location designs, character designs, concept exploration and scene illustrations for "The Funeral Of Foster Green" concept.
I completed a set of visual development pieces for the concept as well as some other miscellaneous illustrations.
Superhero narratives have become a dominant form of contemporary popular culture, often functioning as modern mythologies that reflect evolving social values and cultural tensions. While classical theories of myth, particularly those proposed by
Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, conceptualise heroism as a process of transformation through the heroic journey, contemporary superhero films complicate this assumption by presenting different models of psychological
development. This dissertation examines how superhero narratives construct heroism by distinguishing between static and transformational heroism.
Through a comparative analysis of Batman Begins (2005) and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), the study explores how narrative structure, trauma representation, constructions of masculinity, and cinematic form shape distinct models
of heroic identity. The analysis argues that Batman embodies static heroism grounded in control and stability, while Miles Morales embodies transformational heroism defined by uncertainty, relationality, and personal growth. By contrasting these two films, the dissertation demonstrates a broader shift in contemporary superhero storytelling, suggesting that modern audiences may respond increasingly to heroes who evolve and adapt rather than those who remain psychologically unchanged.
Hey there, welcome to my portfolio. I'm Jean — a background and visual development artist from Kildare. I'm currently working at Cartoon Saloon on an untitled feature. While my primary focus is on background painting + visual development, I’m also deeply passionate about directing and writing. I enjoy moving between these creative fields in my spare time, and have a lot of fun bringing my ideas to life.
Enjoy :)
