By Isabella Cook
Academy of Art University alum David McBride knew from an early age that his passion in life was to draw, write, and, most importantly, tell stories that help to make the world a better—and more accepting—place for everyone.
Before attending the Academy as an online student from 2008 to 2012 (“in the pre-COVID days, before it was cool,” said McBride), he earned his B.F.A. in animation from the University of the Arts in 2008. After earning his undergraduate degree, McBride immediately continued his education and studied character animation at the Academy’s School of Illustration (ILL), earning his M.F.A.
Today, McBride is not only the founder and animation director for his own animation company, David McBride Animation, but he is also the author, creator, and illustrator of the award-winning children’s book series “Kazumi Racecar Pig,” of which the third and newest installment, “Kazumi 3 and the Hideaway Tree,” is set to be released later this summer.
The “Kazumi Racecar Pig” children’s book series—first released in 2017—follows the story of Kazumi, who learns from his adventures not to fear others just because they are different. This first installment of the Kazumi book series was followed by an award-winning short animated film released in 2019 (with books “Kazumi Racecar Pig 2” and “Kazumi 3 and the Hideaway Tree” to follow the film).
The nine-minute-long “Kazumi Racecar Pig” short film took McBride two years and over 5,000 drawings to complete. Upon premiering at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, the film received a warm welcome and high accolades, including a win in the 2020 Garden State Film Festival.
“[The Kazumi premiere] was one of the best moments of my life,” said McBride. “When you dream of something and have it come true—I was lost for words for that experience. It was pretty special.”
“Kazumi 3 and the Hideaway Tree”
“I don’t write something unless I have something to say,” said McBride. “And, when I was finishing up the second ‘Kazumi’ book, we were in lockdown with COVID, and I had no intention of writing a third one.”
While in lockdown, McBride often spoke with his close friend from Romania, Gabriela. Though they had not seen each other in years, the pair spoke often, and McBride found the conversations to be a constant reminder of the good still in the world, and that spark of goodness is what inspired him to write the third “Kazumi” book.
In “Kazumi 3 and the Hideaway Tree,” Kazumi, now armed with everything he’s learned throughout the series, is teaching lessons on acceptance to an overwhelmed, hidden-away forest sprite who is engaged in a constant battle against the pervasive nature of negativity.
Paralleling his own experiences of the lockdown through the lens of Kazumi, McBride speaks to emotions felt by many in the midst of the pandemic, providing a safe shared platform from which to grow.
“During the lockdown, I was feeling like the forest spirit and didn’t want to go back into the world,” said McBride. “[My friend] Gabriela was a constant reminder of the good that is out there, and [she] inspired the story—the book is dedicated to her for this reason.”
For more information on “Kazumi Racecar Pig,” visit davidmcbrideanimation.com.