Coattails & Paradise

Coattails & Paradise is a stop-motion animated short about Magdalene: a girl with a slight disconnect. Lucky for her, a dapper guide by the name of Coattails arrives on the scene, offering some sage advice. Immerse yourself in this beguiling and delightful animated musical.

Directed and animated by Knhik Haefner.
Original score by Kyle Acheson.

This short musical was my first foray into working with an animated film. One challenge was to write a complete musical- with overture, conflict, development and reprises- that lasts a total of 7 minutes. I needed to pack a lot of emotion and information into a very small space! Writing for an animated film is a bit different than writing for stage, and I was able to explore some of those differences in this piece. For instance, the transitions between each song are very fast, much faster than would be possible on a physical stage. I really enjoyed working with Knhik Haefner on this highly original and enigmatic film.

Short preview trailer for Coattails & Paradise, a stop-motion film by Knhik Haefner, with an original score by Kyle Acheson