Illustration
The Little Soldier Who Dared
A short story set in the world of Tin Hearts, created as a prequel to the game and brought to life as an animated film. Our part was the art: building the characters, environments, and storybook feel behind Tommy the tin soldier and the strange night that begins at a Victorian toymaking convention.
About the project
A little tin soldier, a whole world to discover.
The Little Soldier Who Dared follows Albert and Rose Butterworth at a toymaking convention while their creations come alive after the crowds disappear. Tommy, a tin soldier with a wind-up key in his back, is suddenly more than a toy on a display table. The illustrations had to sell both sides of the world: the warmth and wonder of a handmade toy shop, and the sense of scale that appears when those little characters are left to roam it alone.
- Service
- Illustration
- Client
- Rogue Sun / Wired Productions
- Role
- Art / Illustration
- Year
- 2023
Featured film / The prequel
Character & world building
A little more context
Make the toys feel handmade, not harmless.
The visual language needed to sit somewhere between a storybook and a cinematic adventure. Warm interiors, theatrical lighting, expressive faces, and carefully staged silhouettes helped keep the world tactile while leaving room for the animation to take over.
And because Tommy is tiny, scale becomes part of the storytelling. A toy convention hall can feel enormous. A workbench can become a landscape. A single spotlight can turn a little soldier into the hero of the scene.
Details / Supporting artwork
End of project