'The Apple Tree' Electronic Press Kit

SYNOPSIS (short)

Tommy Willis, a destitute young boy, discovers that the natural world near his home is in serious danger. Putting his own needs aside, he acts to put things right at all costs. 

SYNOPSIS (long):

Tommy Willis is a destitute boy sustained by his memories.  Left alone to his own devices while his single mother works, he journeys to the special place he once shared with his love, a little girl named Sabine, and witnesses the effect of callousness and neglect upon the sacred earth.

‘The Apple Tree’ follows Tommy’s quest to find the perpetrators of this destruction and to avenge the desecration of his refuge.  Set in the breathtaking forests of upstate New York, the story takes us back to a time when we grew up outdoors, and is itself a metaphor for the shattering of childhood innocence and a reminder of the symbiosis between Nature and Humanity.

Director’s Statement:

All of us have a take on what it is to be young, mischievous and passionate. For myself, much of my youth was spent stealing away from figures of authority and finding solace in the magic of nature. The Apple Tree came to me over ten years ago, well into my adult life. I had carried the idea around with me while I pursued love, life, career and family, yet it never seemed to find a place at my creative table.

Each year in autumn, my best friend and I hike the hills of the Shawangunk Mountains in New York’s Catskill region. Just about every time, we end up carting out the trash we find on our journey. We feel a personal obligation to keep our favorite places pristine, despite the carelessness of others. Over recent years I remember the day I was walking in a wooded area near my parent’s home. I found there a sickly apple tree, growing in the forest where they are usually not found. I remember my anger at finding it vandalized and cut with knives. I remember the litter and the blatant disregard.

With so many causes in this world worthy of one’s attention, mine has always been environmental preservation for future generations. In February of 2010, after years of trying to get larger projects off the ground with varying degrees of success and failure, I sat down at a computer, opened a brand new program and taught myself how to use it. Though CGI-3D is at the forefront of the animation industry, I have never lost my love of 2D hand-drawn work. With the skills I’ve practiced only here and there since my college experience, The Apple Tree finally started to take shape, one shot at a time. The end product is a result of several of my greatest passions and I am extremely proud of it. I was also fortunate to have jazz legend, Chick Corea, give his permission and blessings to use some of his wonderful music in the film. After all, his music inspired some of the work from the very beginning.

It is my hope that when people see the film, they take from it whatever means the most to them. As long as there is hope and people who care, anything is possible.

~Scott Storm, writer/director/animator