At the start of everything, I want to share a small, seemingly unimportant news story.

Since the end of May, Pixar has laid off about 14% of its staff. Most of the work was already done, but this move has planted seeds of worry among both current and former employees. The unfairness of these layoffs has angered those who worked hard during tough times to make films, making the situation feel even more heartless and ironic.

While working on a movie about mental health, many employees found that their health insurance was canceled, along with their mental health benefits. A former employee remarked, “It’s sad that, while telling stories about mental health, we’re being stripped of basic health coverage.” In the face of such a human crisis, what does box office success really mean?

The OVERWORK

The modern work environment is increasingly taking away people’s time and energy, making it hard for them to truly be themselves. The recent layoffs after Inside Out 2 is a clear example, shedding light on the working conditions in the animation industry and other creative fields. Animators often have to work long hours during production, putting in far more effort than a normal workload, only to face unemployment when the project ends or market demand changes. This “high effort, low reward” model not only makes them feel insecure in their careers but also causes their personal lives to be consumed by work, leaving little time to pursue personal interests or enjoy life.

This situation reflects a wider social issue: a culture that puts work above everything is eating into people’s personal lives and sense of identity. Whether in creative industries or other high-pressure jobs, many people are feeling their work hours getting longer, with less time for rest and freedom. Because of the heavy focus on career success and performance, people are forced to spend most of their time and energy on work, even giving up time with family, hobbies, or just simple rest. As work pressure keeps growing, individuals slowly lose the moments that are truly their own, making life feel repetitive and dull.

Self Losing is a direct result of this problem. In reality, more and more people are losing their sense of personal identity due to overwork, no longer able to pursue their true dreams or interests. Whether in the animation industry or other fields, the overemphasis on work efficiency and output leads people to achieve their career goals at the cost of self-fulfillment. Work becomes not just the main part of life, but sometimes the only part. In my work, the main character gradually loses their sense of self, with endless tasks and job responsibilities taking over, leaving no space to return to what they truly love.

By reflecting this real-life struggle, I hope my work can inspire viewers to rethink the balance between work and life. In this work-driven world, have we sacrificed too much? Have we become lost in the endless cycle of overtime and tasks, forgetting the true meaning of life? This issue isn’t just limited to the animation industry. Many workers in other fields face the same challenge: they spend so much time and energy chasing career success, but have no time to be their true selves. This reality mirrors the story in my work, aiming to get the audience to reflect and reconsider their own lifestyles, and to find a balance between work and self.

My story

In my animation, I want to represent a person’s self and inner world in a visual way. The self is shown as a playful child, while the inner world is a colorless, rainy, fog-covered gray city. The child will pull the switch on the city’s heart, shutting it off. The child is wearing a bright yellow raincoat, becoming the only color in the lifeless gray city. The child represents the purest part of ourselves—the part that longs for freedom, play, and creativity. The yellow raincoat not only symbolizes hope and energy but also has a sense of fragility, suggesting the weak presence of the self in an oppressive environment. The contrast between the child and the raincoat highlights how the inner self still struggles to resist, despite the pressures of work and the demands of real life.

The rainy city symbolizes the inner world, worn down by work and stress. The constant drizzle is a sign of pressure and difficulties, creating a sense of coldness and heaviness. The rain is both a physical trap and an emotional burden, making the city feel colder and harder to breathe in. The gray tone of the city conveys feelings of emptiness, monotony, and oppression, reflecting how people feel after too much work and overtime: lifeless, colorless, and mechanical.

The city’s heart is the core of this oppressive world, representing the external forces that control the inner self. It symbolizes work, or more specifically, the culture of overwork and stress. The heart controls every part of the city, keeping the dull and lifeless order in place, dictating the rhythm of the inner world. It runs on an electric switch, hinting that the inner self is driven by external forces, losing its own vitality and independence.

When the child pulls the switch, this action is a strong symbol of breaking away from external pressure. The switch controls the entire city, and shutting it off means breaking the chains and stopping the endless cycle of stress. This symbolizes that only by cutting off these external forces can a person begin to reclaim peace and color in their inner world.

Character

In the animation, the child in the yellow raincoat is one of the few bright spots in this world, a ray of light cutting through the dark city. This character is mainly inspired by Little Nightmares.

The City

A tired, gray city where it never stops raining, with only the rumble of a mechanical heart.

The Machine Heart

The source of all exhaustion and fatigue—now, let your past self decide. It’s time to take a break.

Conclusion

This is a story about overwork and self-rescue. It explores the conflict between the pressures of modern work and the inner self’s need for freedom, creativity, and rest. Through the journey of a child, who represents the pure self, the story shows the struggle to escape endless pressure and the dull, mechanical world. The message is clear: only by taking back control and cutting off outside pressures can people find inner peace and rediscover their inner energy.