Going out for a beverage during the week isn’t usually the norm for the Jumbla crew, especially on a Tuesday night. But when you’re involved in a global animation challenge screened worldwide, breaking with social convention doesn’t feel so bad.

The event? The latest instalment of Loopdeloop, a bi-monthly challenge that gives animators the opportunity to showcase their skills on an international stage.

After watching around 100 short animations based on the theme ‘pizza’, the audience was given the chance to vote for their favourite Melbourne-based entry. Lo and behold, Jumbla’s own creatives secured first and second place. Two for two!

The winning animation

With her winning Loopdeloop animation, Tracey decided to pull at the the audience’s heartstrings with a ‘poignant’ scenario based on a painful personal experience.

“A few months ago, I made the foolish mistake of ordering five pizzas for myself, which I then spent the next week eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” said Tracey.

“I would wake up and have pizza, bring a few slices for lunch at work, then come home and have more pizza.

“Pizza started to become my life. When I found out the theme for this Loopdeloop was ‘Pizza’, I was basically on my deathbed crying out ‘please… no more.’”

This was Tracey’s first ever Loopdeloop entry, which wouldn’t have happened if not for encouragement from fellow Jumbla creative Alyssa, who came second in the audience vote with her ‘Food Baby’ animation.

“Alyssa and I were talking about ideas and I told her about my ruined relationship with pizza, which led me to getting the idea of a girl shedding some tears while chewing down a slice,” Tracey said.

“The reason as to why she is crying can be up to the audience’s interpretation, but for me, it’s because she doesn’t want to eat pizza anymore. Animating this Loopdeloop was very cathartic.”

Tracey’s journey from Jumbla Academy

Tracey has been there, done that, and got the t-shirt with Jumbla, successfully securing an internship after graduating from Jumbla Academy. As Tracey explains, the journey was instrumental in her Loopdeloop triumph.

“Everything in my Loopdeloop animation, I learnt at Jumbla Academy. From creating the assets all the way to the final touches of the sound effects.

“Then as an intern at Jumbla, I was placed in an environment that encouraged personal animation projects and challenges like Loopdeloop.

“It’s the truth when I say that if I wasn’t an intern at Jumbla, or attended Jumbla Academy, I would have never even tried creating a Loopdeloop."