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Disability is no barrier to success in the animation world. Graduating Raffles student, Matthew Gilligan, has dedicated an intriguing short animation about bullying and acceptance as his final year project.

The 24-year-old Northern Beaches resident is one of this year’s Raffles College of Design and Commerce Digital Media graduates, and has had his work on display at the Raffles Graduate Exhibition (December 10-13, aMBUSH Gallery, Chippendale). He has attained his Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Animation after three years of hard work.

Being born with one arm did not stop Matthew from pursuing his dream to become an animator. `Animation is a really fun way to entertain people,’ Matthew said, ` I feel inspired by old Disney movies like Lion King and Aladdin I grew up with.’

Three years ago, at the Raffles College Open Day, Matthew showed one of the Raffles teachers some of his animated work. The teacher immediately encouraged him to turn his personal passion in to a career.

`I love studying at Raffles – the Digital Media faculty is so supportive, and I have learnt a lot in three years,’ said Matthew, `I feel prepared and confident about getting a job in the animation field now.’

His latest 2D animation is a 10-minute children’s film about a one-armed bunny having trouble making friends and getting bullied at the day care centre. When asked about his choice of topic, Matthew explained how he wanted to tackle the subject of bullying with a unique presentation.

`The film is about bullying, acceptance, and being confident in yourself,’ said the young animator, `Part of the story was drawn from my personal experience but I tried to handle the subject in a way that everyone can relate.’

Matthew also encouraged other disabled students to follow their hearts, `It’s very important to find something you want to do and keep pursuing it. Never dwell on the negative thoughts till you give it a go.’

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