Calgary animator Tank Standing Buffalo's MONSTR explores grief and loss in latest HBO Max release

Late last month Calgary animator Tank Standing Buffalo’s latest work, MONSTR, began streaming on HBO Max, featured in the anthology series Only You: An Animated Shorts Collection.

The third installment in a semi-autobiographical series, MONSTR explores themes of grief, loss, and acceptance, all rendered in Standing Buffalo's signature style, which is to hide meaning and personal history behind horror and fantasy.

It was one of eight chosen from 1,200 submissions.

Standing Buffalo got into the world of art and animation in 2015 when he took an introduction to animation course with the Quickdraw Animation Society (QAS), which Standing Buffalo claims is “the best kept secret in Calgary.”

“They had a scholarship program that I was encouraged to apply for, which I did and received,” he says

After receiving the Chris J. Melnychuk Memorial Scholarship and Residency, Standing Buffalo completed his first cartoon.

“I am forever grateful for the amazing support and teachings at QAS,” Standing Buffalo says.

Mending old wounds

Standing Buffalo delved into his creative process, revealing that animation was his medium of choice for exploring his past and mending old wounds.

“Making MONSTR was the most difficult so far,” he says.

The central narrative of MONSTR follows Standing Buffalo’s story as he grapples with his inner demons and undertakes a wood carving apprenticeship on the Pacific coast, all in the aftermath of the death of his wife, Marsha.

“Examining the events around my partner dying of a brain aneurysm and reliving that time for the nine-month production wasn't easy,” Standing Buffalo says.

“It’s more like sifting through the ashes and piecing together what once was.”

He took a chance

HBO issued a call for submissions, inviting animators from underrepresented groups to pitch their ideas for an animated short, and so Standing Buffalo took a chance and submitted his piece.

Standing Buffalo worked alongside his partner Cara Adu-Darko, co-writer and producer Xstine Cook, and a team of co-writers, producers, and composers to bring MONSTR to life.

Sparked by a conversation with Cook, Standing Buffalo delved into solitary writing.

“I’ll take my typewriter and sketchbook to a cabin and spend some time alone writing a loose script and drawing out some story boards,” Standing Buffalo says.

“Once I'm back in town, Xstine and I will hammer out the details and start building a structured story. From there, I'll make a pitch deck and hone in on the look and feel of the overall project.”

Animated work

After this process, Standing Buffalo and his team turned their work into an animatic, an early rendition of a film, which served as a roadmap, leading to months of drawing until the final product was achieved.

MONSTR, Standing Buffalo's third animated short, stands out from his previous two releases primarily due to the significantly larger team involved in its production.

“We had a tiny crew for both RKLSS and SAVJ, in which I handled a good portion of the animated side of production,” says Standing Buffalo.

“With MONSTR I had support in every aspect of production, which I knew I needed to reach that next level in my animation. This was such a heavy cartoon for me, I don't think I could have lifted this off the ground without the support that HBO provided.”

A Hollywood connection

MONSTR premiered in Hollywood with the voice talents of actors Corey Feldman and Tristan Risk, an experience Standing Buffalo described as “pure magic.” He hopes to work with them and others he met during the project on future endeavors.

Standing Buffalo has been able to “use animation as a form of time travel.”

Animation has aided him in his healing journey by being able to reflect back on his younger self.

“Going back to the ghost of my younger self, letting him know that things will get better, to hang in there. One day you get to work with some of your favourite actors… Keep going with that fire and not to give up, you did something with your life.”

As for Standing Buffalo's future plans, he is taking a hiatus from animation to focus on his first feature film, which will require "spiritual warriors" to help bring it to life.

In the meantime, MONSTR is currently available for streaming on HBO Max, showcasing Standing Buffalo's prowess as an animator and storyteller.