Pixi Pals - a short film by Indi L. Solis & Neko Pilarcik-Tellez
An insecure young woman becomes dangerously obsessed with a vintage virtual pet game, leading to a surreal battle for her freedom against the controlling digital creature in this hybrid animation / live-action film.
Format: Animation / Live-Action | Total Runtime: 7:57 | Current Status: Post-Production | Anticipated Completion: Feb. 2026
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About the Directors
Indi L. Solis is a Panamanian animator based in Atlanta, Georgia.
She earned a B.A. in Animation in 2011 from Universidad Latina de Panamá and developed her craft through self-directed practice, freelance work, and a formative role at the national broadcasting network La Cáscara, where she built much of her technical foundation. In 2021 she began her MFA in Animation at the Savannah College of Art and Design and, in 2024, joined Affinitiv Advertising as a full-time motion designer while completing her graduate studies. Her primary passion is pixel art—the elegant paradox of simple pixels yielding complex worlds—a fascination rooted in childhood afternoons playing video games with her brother and friends. Neko Pilarcik-Tellez is an Atlanta-based compositor and 2D animator who likes to say, "I did my career backwards." She got her start teaching animation at St. Louis Community College in Ferguson, Missouri and later pivoted into animation compositing as a full-time career. A proud high school dropout, Neko has never been afraid to forge her own path through hard work, passion and determination. Neko is passionate about using her compositing and visual effects skills craft unique aesthetics for animated productions and helping others tell their unique stories. |
Indi's Director's Statement [spoiler-free]
I’ve been making things for as long as I can remember—drawings, comics, cartoons, games, interactive pieces, books. Creating isn’t just what I do; it’s how I think, communicate, and connect, and I don’t imagine ever retiring from that impulse. Pixel art and animation are the core of my practice—not only for nostalgia, but because constraint is a craft. Every sequence is a puzzle: how much emotion can a handful of squares carry, and what must be shown versus implied? I thrive at that edge, where limits force precision and invite invention, revealing character through rhythm, timing, and the tension between presence and omission. When the grid corners me, I lean in; pressure clarifies choices, and the work often shines brightest there. My aim is to make pieces I can stand beside with pride—simple on the surface, complex in feeling, and honest about the labor of turning small building blocks into living stories. Neko's Director's Statement [heavy spoilers!] At first glance, you might mistake Pixi Pals as a film about video game addiction, I assure you it is not. As avid gamers, it’s that love of classic 80’s and 90’s video games that lead Indi and I to choose pixel art as a vehicle for telling this story. Annie’s relationship with the previously banned virtual pet game serves as a metaphor for emotionally abusive relationships. What begins as a nostalgic escape becomes a nightmare as Annie withdraws from friends, neglects her work, and surrenders her autonomy to satisfy the escalating demands of this digital entity. The juxtaposition of seemingly innocent, pixel animation against the darkening psychological reality of Annie's situation creates a dissonance that communicates the often-hidden nature of abusive dynamics. As the story progresses, the video game character, Bobbin, slowly transforms from cute and comforting to distorted and threatening - mirroring how abusive relationships slowly reveal their true nature. When Annie tries to put the game down, Bobbin guilts her into coming back. When she reaches out for help in fixing the game’s “glitches” Bobbin’s true nature is revealed as he drags her physically into the game. There, Annie must reclaim her sense of self in order to confront Bobbin and finally break free. This film represents my belief that unconventional artistic approaches can break through defensive barriers, allowing audiences to engage with difficult subject matter they might otherwise avoid. In using pixel art to tell Annie's story, I aim to demonstrate that this medium has profound expressive potential beyond its conventional use in video games. |