Film Festival Animation from Gene Siskel Film Center, released on May 11 at 11 am CDT
Fantasy, 9:45 minutes, Year completed: 2025, DCP Format/Apple ProRes 422/HD
The Rage Monsters Movie is a preview into the universe of the Rage Monsters, a fantasy animation of dragons with human intelligence who want to keep the island at peace.
The animated short film “The Rage Monsters Movie” illustrates the everyday endeavors of the Rage Monsters Heroes until a formidable threat, known as Degah, emerges on Volcano Island. Degah hypnotizes certain Rage Monsters Heroes, aiming to dominate the island. In response, Monster Maria, along with other residents, collaborate to initiate
The animated short film “The Rage Monsters Movie” illustrates the everyday endeavors of the Rage Monsters Heroes until a formidable threat, known as Degah, emerges on Volcano Island. Degah hypnotizes certain Rage Monsters Heroes, aiming to dominate the island. In response, Monster Maria, along with other residents, collaborate to initiate a crucial battle between the forces of good and evil against the adversary, Degah. With the support of Creator Mary, a divine figure of the Rage Monsters Universe, they strive to overcome the malevolent monster, Degah, reinstating peace on the island.
Mary Rodriguez is the animator, director, writer, and voice actor of Creator Mary and Monster Mary, she is also the director and producer of the Rage Monsters Movie
Lourdes Rodriguez is the voice actor of Monster Barha and Monster Little Blue
Gilmer Rodriguez is the voice actor of Monster Roger and Monster Josh
Grace Kemp is the voice actor of Monster Maria and Monster Bella
Kyierre Turner is the voice actor of Spike and Degah.
Mary is a cartoon animator with 10 years of experience. Her greatest inspiration is from Angry Birds, since childhood, Mary has done all types of art. Alongside drawing, she wrote fan-fiction stories, made plushies and animated stories, painting, and sewing. Mary is fascinated by science like animals and natural disasters. When Mary began
Mary is a cartoon animator with 10 years of experience. Her greatest inspiration is from Angry Birds, since childhood, Mary has done all types of art. Alongside drawing, she wrote fan-fiction stories, made plushies and animated stories, painting, and sewing. Mary is fascinated by science like animals and natural disasters. When Mary began her animation studies at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, she specialized in 2D animation with dreams to make a 2D animated TV show based on her characters. But with time, she explored different softwares and expanded her portfolio. Alongside her studies she pursued an independent online business. In the 8 years since developing her concept for a cartoon show, Mary has developed over 50 characters, written over 50 of their stories, and produced more than 100 short videos and published 8 children’s books on Amazon. She sold paintings at the annual Art sales at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, she also showcased her art at the National Art Program at UChicago Medicine. She graduated with BFA in Animation on May 19 of 2025.
"The Rage Monsters Movie" is a fantasy comedy animated short film entirely created using Adobe After Effects. Crafting the perfect script and determining the number of characters from my series took some time. In January, I used Procreate to design the settings for various scenes and organized the props and other elements for the Adobe
"The Rage Monsters Movie" is a fantasy comedy animated short film entirely created using Adobe After Effects. Crafting the perfect script and determining the number of characters from my series took some time. In January, I used Procreate to design the settings for various scenes and organized the props and other elements for the Adobe After Effects animation.
To animate each chosen character, I separated their body parts to enable movement and facial expressions. Once all the scenes were prepared, I animated them in Adobe After Effects and used Final Cut Pro to compile the videos. In February, I enlisted family and friends to provide voice acting for my characters. My sister, Lourdes, assisted with background music suitable for the scenes and voiced two characters: Monster Barha and Monster Little Blue.
Once the animation was complete, I decided to include a post-credit scene where the villain threatens to return to the Island. For this, I opted for traditional animation using paper and pencil, reminiscent of classic 1930s cartoons. I colored them in Procreate, scanned the images with my phone scanner app, made their backgrounds transparent using a Magic Eraser app, and colored them in Procreate. With the post-credits scene ready, I felt confident that the video was prepared for public screening. I really enjoyed working on this animation and the fact that is being shown to the public for the first time in a theater. The film is an inspiration for children, even adults to learn life lessons in certain situations.
Lourdes Rodriguez, who earned her Honors BA in Creative Writing from the University of Chicago, is an emerging novelist with a host of creative experience in music production and sound design. A close relative to the animator, she has followed The Rage Monsters series from its conception–thrilled to contribute to this instrumental soundtr
Lourdes Rodriguez, who earned her Honors BA in Creative Writing from the University of Chicago, is an emerging novelist with a host of creative experience in music production and sound design. A close relative to the animator, she has followed The Rage Monsters series from its conception–thrilled to contribute to this instrumental soundtrack. As a prog-metal guitarist of ten years, self-taught in synthesis, her greatest inspirations range across Opeth, Ulver, Katatonia, Archive, Dead Can Dance, and Porcupine Tree. When Lourdes scores a film, she takes on the role of emotional landscaping, tasking herself in the invocation of desired atmospheres.
"“The Rage Monsters Movie” is an ambitious animated project that blends vibrant fantasy with a surreal exploration of identity and inner conflict. Directed by a fresh animator, the project showcases the beginnings of an emotionally rich narrative set within a magical world."
- Ashley Husain saying, Story Artist
An animation of Monster Mary in 1920s style.
Mary's Arts
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.