Nick DeCarlo loves to watch classic black and white cartoons. The fifth grader from Patrick M. Villano School enjoys Oswald, Steamboat Willie, Felix the Cat, and Mickey Mouse. It’s this love of old cartoons that made DeCarlo interested in creating his own cartoon which he calls Rick the Raccoon.
“I suppose it all came to me … for some reason I just thought of a raccoon in a top hat,” DeCarlo said. “He’s a raccoon modeled after Sonic the Hedgehog and not to mention Mickey Mouse.”
DeCarlo calls this raccoon character, Rick. DeCarlo describes Rick as usually cheerful, nervous at times, and easily scared. DeCarlo has an animation flip book at home from Christmas. That’s where you draw a picture on each page, and as you flip the pages, the drawing appear to move. DeCarlo has plans to turn his Rick cartoon into a movie.
“The movie is about how Rick loses his [pet] axolotl and has to go on an amazing adventure to find it. The axolotl’s name is Adam,” DeCarlo said.
The movie process can be challenging, said DeCarlo. He’s made puppets to represent the characters of Rick, Adam, and Rick’s two cousins named Ribbon and Ricko. DeCarol plans to use a friend’s iPad to video this puppet show.
“I made some others, but this weekend I am officially launching the first Rick the Raccoon cartoon,” DeCarlo said. “It makes me feel good. I have a whole box of puppets ready.”
DeCarlo is already planning a cartoon sequel in July.
