Elephant Trapped in Mt Vernon, IA

In September, The Tiny Circus took over Washington Elementary School in the gorgeous town of Mt Vernon, Iowa for a spectacular week of animation. With the help of 527 elementary students, a class of high school students and teachers, the Circus was able successfully to trap a elephant.

Below, students work collaboratively to animate wind blowing from a windmill.

All the participants worked together to create music and sound effects, construct props, and animate the elephant to create the 3 minute animation. Part of the animation utilized participants bodies. Our hosts rounded up a 40' tall scissor lift and we positioned a camera high above a playing field. Then, many kids worked under the hot sun in 40 minute periods, to act out scenes for the animation while being photographed from above.

527 kids - we needed each one to make this beautiful and complex animation. This was true collaboration - the involvement of all these participants created something much larger than the sum of its parts. ...And we trapped the heck out of that elephant!

During the week we enjoyed the warm Iowa fall days. A reporter from The Cedar Rapids Gazette came and interviewed a few students, catching some great responses. On Friday evening, Elephant Trap was premiered and we enjoyed the biggest Tiny Circus show to date!