Welcome to my story portfolio! Below you will find both my personal and professional storyboards.To contact me for work or further storyboard samples, please email me at: gavinarucan@gmail.com
Helluva Boss | Spindlehorse toons
Helluva Boss Season 2 Episode 5: "Unhappy Campers"
Helluva Boss Season 2 Episode 2: "Seeing Stars"
An Ocean Away | Personal board
A little boy heads to Hollywood in his spaceship.
The Perfect Burger | Personal board (excerpt)
An outstanding burger chef meets her match: a customer who can't be pleased.
Pua Warriors | Personal board (excerpt)
After a huge argument, magical girls Jasmine and Ayaka race off to fight the hungry sludge monster that threatens Kailua-Kona, while Leilani is left to deal with her sudden lack of powers.
Character Animation Demo Reel
1. The Pākalā Kids: Rough, Clean-Up, and Color
2. Midnight Showing: Rough, Clean-Up, Color, and Background | Fire FX by Jared Louis
3. The Pākalā Kids: Rough, Clean-Up, and Color
4. The Pākalā Kids: Rough, Clean-Up, and Color
5. Quests are for the Broke: Roughs
6. The Pākalā Kids: Rough, Clean-Up, and Color
7. Pua Warriors: Rough, Clean-Up, Color, and Background | Steam FX by Jared Louis
8. Wild Card Animation Test: Roughs
9. Pua Warriors: Rough, Clean-Up, Color, and Background
10. Pua Warriors: Rough, Clean-Up, Color, and Background
11. The Pākalā Kids: Rough, Clean-Up, and Color
12. Pua Warriors: Rough, Clean-Up, Color
13. Pua Warriors: Rough, Clean-Up, Color, and Background | Energy FX by Jared Louis
14. Crane Eating: Roughs
15. The Pākalā Kids: Rough, Clean-Up, and Color
16. Pua Warriors: Rough, Clean-Up, Color, and Background
Short Films
The Pākalā Kids (2020) - 5 mins
Synopsis
The Pākalā Kids is a slice-of-life animated film following two best friends, Lani and Dixie, as they run away from their home in the rustic, old plantation town of Pākalā Village, Kauaʻi, and embark on a journey up Waimea Canyon, hoping to make the best of a very important day.
Credits
Written and Directed by:
Gavin ArucanExecutive Producer:
Lisette FlanaryProducers:
Tiffany Ganti
Gavin ArucanCast:
Lani. . . Kalilinoe Detwiler
Dixie. . . Chris Dang
Leialoha. . . Nale Donlin
Background Artist:
Suky ZhaoAnimators:
Gavin Arucan
Jared Louis
Sophia WhalenSound by:
Vicky LiuAssistant Recording Engineers:
Timothy Manamtam
Timothy Hurley
Awards and Nominations
2019 Abernethy Screenwriting Competition Award
WINNERACM Awards 2021
Best Animated Film - WINNER
Best Sound - WINNER
Best Character Animation - Nominated
Best Character Design - Nominated
Best Art Direction - Nominated
Best Editing - Nominated
Official Selection
Hawaiʻi International Film Festival 2020
Asians on Film Festival 2021
DisOrient Asian American Film Festival 2021
Florida Animation Festival 2021
Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival 2021
Seattle Asian American Film Festival 2021
Hawaiʻi Book & Music Festival 2021
Cultural Animation Film Festival 2021
Guam International Film Festival 2021
Smithsonian NMAI’s Native Cinema Showcase 2021
Made in Hawaiʻi International Film Festival 2022
Hōʻea 2022
Art at the Capitol 2023
Pua Warriors (2020) - 8 mins
Synopsis
Pua Warriors is a ‘magical girl’ animated short film about Leilani, a quick tempered Hawaiian girl, and her friends, Ayaka and Jasmine, who need to prevent a sludge monster from destroying their hometown on Hawaiʻi island. But when Ayaka eats all of Leilani’s food, Leilani’s anger prevents her from using her full power to defeat the monster.
Credits
Directed and Produced by:
Sophia WhalenWritten by:
Sophia Whalen
Gavin ArucanExecutive Producer:
Lisette FlanaryCast:
Leilani. . . Sydnee Lum
Jasmine. . . Danae Naone
Ayaka. . . Sophia WhalenMusic by:
Michael-Thomas Foumai
Art Director/Background Artist:
Gavin ArucanAnimators:
Sophia Whalen
Chandelle Oliver
Jared Louis
Alex Nelson
Gavin Arucan
Mirren Hollison
Molly Tapken
Londy Tong-LeeOriginal Dialogue Recording Engineer
Timothy Manamtam
Awards and Nominations
ACM Awards 2021Best Directing - WINNER
Best Character Animation - WINNER
Best Art Direction - WINNER
Best Visual Effects - WINNER
Audience Award - WINNER
Best Character Design - Nominated
Best Comedy - Nominated
Official Selection
Hawaiʻi International Film Festival 2020
Asians on Film Festival 2021
Florida Animation Festival 2021
Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival 2021
Seattle Asian American Film Festival 2021
Cultural Animation Film Festival 2021
Guam International Film Festival 2021
Made in Hawaiʻi International Film Festival 2022
Midnight Showing (2019) - 10 mins
Synopsis
Midnight Showing is a wacky animated horror film following Angel, an utterly exhausted movie theatre usher, on the most frightening closing shift of his life. When nobody arrives for a midnight movie premiere, Angel eagerly closes up early, angering a menacing phantom that haunts the theatre.
Credits
Written and Directed by:
Gavin ArucanExecutive Producer:
Brittany BiggsProduced by:
Sophia WhalenMusic by:
Joshua NambaCast:
Angel. . . Justin Bendo
Story Artists:
Sophia Whalen
Jared Louis
Gavin Arucan
Kalilinoe DetwilerBackground Artists:
Gavin Arucan
Kalilinoe DetwilerSound by:
Alexis Nelson
Animators:
Chandelle Oliver
Jared Louis
Gavin Arucan
Sophia Whalen
Kalilinoe Detwiler
Alexis Nelson
Bobby Renteria
Jayme SugitayaOriginal Dialogue Recording Engineer:
Devon LafogaAssistant Dialogue Recording Engineer:
Tim HurleyAdditional Colorists:
Tiffany Ganti
Daniel Oka
Noah Domingo
Mia Clause
Nalu McFadden-Rios
Danae Naone
Molly Tapken
Blythe Yoshikane
Londy Tong-Lee
Awards and Nominations
ACM Awards 2020Best Animated Film - WINNER
Best Comedy - WINNER
Best Directing - WINNER
Best Character Animation - WINNER
Best Character Design - WINNER
Best Cinematography - WINNER
Best Production Design - WINNER
Best Editing - WINNER
Best Sound - WINNER
Audience Award - WINNERAnimation Celebration Fest 2020Best Comedic Short Film - WINNER
Official Selection
Hawaiʻi International Film Festival 2020
SIGGRAPH 2020
Animation Celebration Fest 2020
Florida Animation Festival 2020
Open World Animation Festival 2020
The Girl and the Kappa Monster (2019) - 8 mins
Synopsis
Hiriko, a lonely, young Japanese woman, develops a close friendship with a mythological Kappa Monster, but it takes a deeper grip on her life than she would like.
Credits
A film by:
Gavin ArucanExecutive Producer:
Brittany BiggsCast:
Hiriko. . . Sherilyn Lydia MeyerMusic by:
Joshua Namba
Awards and Nominations
ACM Awards 2020Best Animated Film - Nominated
Best Directing - Nominated
Best Character Animation - Nominated
Best Character Design - Nominated
Best Production Design - Nominated
Best Sound - Nominated
Official Selection
Hawaiʻi International Film Festival 2019
Cultural Animation Film Festival 2020
HIFF@HOME
Down the Red Dirt Road (2018) - 3 mins
Synopsis
Hiriko, a lonely, young Japanese woman, develops a close friendship with a mythological Kappa Monster, but it takes a deeper grip on her life than she would like.
Credits
A film by:
Gavin ArucanExecutive Producer:
Laura MarguliesCast:
Sherilyn Lydia MeyerMusic by:
Joshua Namba
Awards and Nominations
ACM Awards 2019Best Animated Film - WINNER
Best Animation Cinematography - WINNER
Best Sound - WINNER
Best Drama - Nominated
Best Character Animation - Nominated
Best Character Design - Nominated
Official Selection
Hawaiʻi International Film Festival 2018
Cultural Animation Film Festival 2019
Other Work
Aqualink Field Guide (2020)
Animated by: Gavin Arucan, Alexis Nelson, and
Kalilinoe Detwiler
Potluck (2019) - 24 Hours Contest
Animated by: Sophia Whalen, Kalilinoe Detwiler,
Gavin Arucan, Chandelle Oliver, and Mia Clause
The Pākalā Kids
The smallest of moments can be the most memorable. Follow best friends Lani and Dixie as they laugh, play, and grow up together in the rural town of Pākalā Village, Kauaʻi.Also available on Webtoon Canvas!
Episode 1: Come & Go
Episode 2: Snail Meal
Episode 3: Junk Anna Pole!
Episode 4: Curse-ive
Episode 5: Sato's Snacks
Episode 6: Mirror Move
Episode 7: Self-Taught
Episode 8: The Cool Kids
Episode 9: Finding Seashells
Episode 10: Floating in the Ocean Blue
Episode 11: Wave Goodbye
Stargazing
Illustrations
Gestures and Studies
Fan Art
About Me
Aloha, my name is Gavin Arucan! I’m a Filipino and Japanese-American storyboard artist from Hawaiʻi, currently working on the animated webseries Helluva Boss! I've also storyboarded for the Hazbin Hotel series.I graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2020 with a B.A. in Animation, with a passion to tell stories rooted in the culture of my home in rural Oʻahu and Kauaʻi.In my free time I love watching movies, playing Pokémon, hiking and reading queer BIPOC graphic novels! I create a slice-of-life comic on Webtoon Canvas called The Pākalā Kids!Studios: Princess Bento, SpindleHorseI'm available for fulltime and freelance Storyboard and Revisionist work!
To get in touch, please contact me at: gavinarucan@gmail.com
