This 12-scene animated short, titled Sly, centers on a rhythmic encounter between a bouncing ball and two feline personas . set to henry mancini’s "the pink panther," the project explores the tension between a playful "small cat" and an observant "big cat".

The primary challenge was to move beyond the original linear motion to create a more organic feel . we needed to ensure the audience could instantly read the shift from the small cat’s innocence to the big cat’s mounting anger using only minimalist eye movements.

I applied real-world motion references to the bouncing ball to ensure natural acceleration and impact . through after effects, we added subtle eye-tracking and pupil shifts, ensuring the "scary" and "ready to attack" states were conveyed through precise timing and easing rather than complex graphics

The refinement process successfully transformed a basic loop into a narrative with clear emotional clarity . by focusing on the "before & after" of motion quality, the final animation demonstrates how rhythmic precision and character-driven timing can elevate minimalist geometric storytelling.