Gözde Naz Terzi
ABOUT THE MOVIE
Tora is a stop-motion animation that explores the emotional and behavioural process of body dysmorphia and self-acceptance through the story of a young tiger.
The project combines handcrafted visual techniques such as collage and painting with digital illustration to create a layered and metaphorical narrative—one that speaks not through direct explanation, but through emotion. Rather than offering clinical answers, it invites the viewer to feel, reflect, and empathize through its visual language.
Tora reminds us that what we see as imperfection are the unique parts and beauty that make us who we are.
Tora is built around the themes of self-perception, isolation, and acceptance. At its core, the film explores how external expectations can distort the way we see ourselves, and how hiding perceived “flaws” can lead to emotional distance—from others, and from ourselves.
The main metaphor of the story is the tiger itself. Tigers are usually seen as powerful, confident, and proud. In Tora, this image is subverted: the character hides, doubts, and disconnects from her own body. This contrast creates space for vulnerability to exist within a symbol of strength.
The aim of Tora is to raise awareness about body dysmorphia and the psychological impact of societal beauty standards on individuals’ self-image. The project seeks to explore this complex topic through an artistic and emotionally engaging stop-motion animation. Rather than providing medical or didactic explanations, Tora uses visual storytelling as a way to open up conversations around body perception and mental health. It aims to inspire empathy, trigger self-reflection and contribute to wider cultural dialogue about self-acceptance, vulnerability and the idea that perceived flaws are actually sources of strength and uniqueness.
Another key metaphor is the act of covering and uncovering parts of the body. This becomes a visual language for shame, control, and eventually, release. As the story progresses, these layers begin to shift—mirroring Tora’s transformation from self-rejection to self-acceptance.
The use of collage, fragmented textures, and mixed materials further supports these ideas. The broken yet beautiful visuals reflect the complexity of identity and the emotional depth of trying to feel whole in a world that tells you you’re not enough.
DESIGN PROCESS
Tora’s design started with sharp, defined lines. As the animation needs became clearer, her form was adjusted for smoother movement. While other tigers share the same body type, Tora’s body is made of irregular shapes instead of clean lines—reflecting her distorted self-image due to body dysmorphia.
While building the puppet, I experimented with two different methods. At first, I used buttons to create joints, but they made the puppet heavy and limited its movement. Later, I discovered a more effective technique: punching holes in the joint areas and connecting the paper parts with fasteners. This approach allowed for more flexible motion. From there, I began testing different pivot points to create a puppet with the widest range of movement.
A separate puppet was created for top-down (bird’s eye) shots of Tora. Unlike the main version, this puppet included a modified back leg system that allowed forward-backward and up-down movement, offering more flexibility for specific scene needs.
The story was first shaped through hand-drawn storyboards, where each scene was broken down into frames. I used these drawings to plan emotional pacing, camera framing, and transitions. While animating, I kept the storyboard nearby, but also allowed for spontaneous changes—trusting the rhythm of the moment and what the puppet “felt” like doing.
Each background was handcrafted using watercolor, pastel, acrylic paint, textured paper, and collage elements. The goal was to create fragmented but emotionally resonant spaces. I designed miniature objects to match the emotional tone of each scene. Materials were chosen not for realism, but for their tactile quality.
In forest scenes, where Tora feels disconnected from her body due to body dysmorphia, the entire environment was made of paper—highlighting the sense of incompleteness.
In contrast, the ocean scenes include flowing and shining materials like fabric and beads. These elements were added to symbolize Tora’s gradual journey toward self-acceptance and emotional fluidity.
