Micheline Pitt and husband R.H. Norman have combined creative forces with creature effects artist Kevin Yagher to create a dark fantasy short film, “Grummy,” an autobiographic tale of Pitt’s childhood.
Inspired by the imagination that she escaped to during her abusive childhood, Pitt and her filmmaker husband Norman share a heartbreaking yet poetic tale of a young girl whose stuffed creature, “Grummy,” brings a new world to life during her most vulnerable moments. This dark fairy tale is an expression of Pitt’s own sexual abuse survival story and a love note to the monsters and fantastic worlds that helped her survive.
“This story is very personal because I was this little girl,” says Pitt. “I used my imagination to escape from an abusive childhood; I used books, movies, and toys to get away.” Adding “Grummy is a story of how fantasy saved my life.”
The short film was funded through Kickstarter, having raised more than $116,000, one of the highest funded projects of its kind. The film stars Violet McGraw (“The Haunting of Hill House”) alongside Tom Degnan (“Limitless”) and Alex Ward (“Westworld”). The Grummy character was brought to life with full animatronics and a life-sized creature suit created by legendary Producer and Effects Artist Kevin Yagher (“Sleepy Hollow”). The film celebrates classic practical effects and world-building in fantasy filmmaking akin to the works of Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro.
Deadline offered an exclusive first look at “Grummy” last week, but the film is available for all to see via Pitt’s YouTube channel.
Pitt is a multi-disciplinary artist renowned for her work as a fashion designer, artist, animator, and advocate for sexual assault survivors as a member of RAINN’s National Leadership Council. Pitt was recognized as an LA Weekly Person of the Year in 2020.
Norman, a former mentee of Werner Herzog, is best known for his Afghanistan War short, “Hajji,” starring Ross Marquand (“The Walking Dead”) and Dayo Okeniyi (“The Hunger Games”). The Normans’ short films have screened in Academy Award-qualifying film festivals. Their feature scripts have placed in the finals of high-profile competitions, including Final Draft’s Big Break Contest, Shore Scripts, Screencraft, and others.
