Abstract

Disposal is a mixed-media animated short film created as a graduate thesis project. The story explores the protagonist’s search for meaning in life and his defiance of a predetermined fate. At the beginning, he is an ordinary, guileless figure without remarkable qualities. In his world, life revolves around constant competition, and one’s worth is measured by their position on a ranking board. Only the top three may pass through the golden gate, a symbol of transcendence. Others must continue the endless cycle of contests, while the lowest seven face incineration in the Disposal. Despite his efforts, the protagonist falls into the bottom (seventh) position. Unlike others, he fears death and resists annihilation. Driven by desperation, he breaks the rules and sneaks into the golden gate. Yet instead of paradise, he witnesses a horrifying truth: cold mechanical arms drain the blood of the top three elites, leaving behind only empty husks. Terrified by the scene, he faints. When he awakens, he finds himself in a strange dimension where his emotional rebellion becomes a delicacy for higher beings. His defiance, once an act of survival, is consumed as entertainment. In the end, he dies tragically, his struggle reduced to nothing more than a spectacle.

Publication Date

12-16-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

- Please Select One -

Degree Name

Film and Animation (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

Film and Animation, School of

College

College of Art and Design

Advisor

Andrew Sonntag

Advisor/Committee Member

Atia Newman

Advisor/Committee Member

Mark Reisch

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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