Amazing Things Project is the creation of independent animation director Alex Amelines. The short was released in April 2017 to coincide with World Autism Awareness (Day, Week, Month) and was made available online for free. It tackles the complex subject of autism with simple descriptions, relatable situations and positive language. It is primarily aimed at 7-11 year old children.
It all began with the small idea to help his kid’s local school with an animation to explain autism to the children. Alex spent several months writing a suitable script with help from the school’s Special Educational Needs coordinator and Professor Tony Attwood.
Professor Tony Attwood and Alex Amelines
Once completed it took Alex over a year to complete the animation in his spare time. Alex also received help from other professionals in the entertainment industry on a pro bono basis: Scottish actor David Gant (Narrator), composer Chris Harrington and Sound Engineer Mike Avgeros on behalf of Soho Sonic Studios, London.
David Gant, Alex Amelines and Mike Avgeros
The result was the viral hit called “Amazing Things Happen” which had very warm welcome by parents, teachers and most importantly the autistic community. Alex decided to try his best to do more. Since then he’s worked with The British Dyslexia Association, BBC Persia, Genius Within, The Autism Plan and Safe Places National Network.
Moving forward, we are planning to launch a Patreon page in an effort to make the project self-sustainable. Patreon is a crowdfunding platform like Kickstarter but it works on a subscription basis with smaller amounts. With your continued support we’ll be able to create videos more often and cover other important topics such as ADHD, ADD, PDA and many more. Depending on the amount of your subscription you’ll get cool rewards like music, artwork, behind the scene videos, you might get a say on what topic to animate next and Alex might even overcome his fear of cameras and talk to you directly. Even the smallest amount will help and the more people contribute the less time you’ll have to wait between videos.
In partnership with
Alex is joining forces with Tiimo in order to further their mutual goal of creating a more inclusive society. Tiimo is an assistive technology app for people who need structure and visual support in everyday life. It’s particularly useful tool for people with ADHD, ADD, and autism. If you or someone you know would thrive with a more supported, visual routine, check them out here.