Animator Maxine Toledo breaks down 3D storytelling for eager participants
at the 12-day annual festival’s Illustration Survival Café
Sharjah, May 4, 2025
Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) 2025 saw young minds light up at a hands-on CGI film production workshop. The session was led by Maxine Toledo, a 21-year-old animator and student at SAE Dubai, who shared the behind-the-scenes journey of her 3D short film King’s Crown – a seven-minute story about a hermit’s chance encounter with a lost child.
Using simple language and engaging visuals, Maxine introduced the children to the fundamentals of digital storytelling, including 3D asset creation, digital painting, and scene composition while taking them through the three main stages of filmmaking – pre, during and post-production . “I want to show kids that they can create magic just like big Hollywood studios like Pixar, DreamWorks, or Sony Animation – even with limited tools,” she said. “The goal is to make storytelling fun, real, and something they can imagine themselves doing.”
Children from different nationalities, including students from a French school in Sharjah, were among the participants. Eight-year-old Ali Alsmelawe said, “She showed us how to turn drawings into a real film. I want to try that!” Jana Mesaoud Laoire, also 8, added, while sketching a character, “It was fun to learn how characters come alive. I want to make my own cartoon story!”
Their teacher, Emad Alla, said the workshop was a rare opportunity: “It opened the children’s eyes to how animation works. Maxine made the process feel approachable and exciting.”
As part of SCRF’s wider aim to introduce children to diverse creative disciplines under the theme “Dive into Books”, this workshop – with sessions each 45 minutes long – highlighted how storytelling continues to evolve – from page to screen, and from imagination to animation.
-ENDS-
Attached Images
1-5) General images during “CGI film production” workshop at Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2025