Table of Contents
Three Key Takeaways
- Sean Davis brings a fresh twist to adult animated comedy through his film Almost Ten, spotlighting originality and surprise.
- The film’s unique blend of humor and genre-bending storytelling reflects a deliberate push against conventional tropes.
- Davis emphasizes the power of independent filmmaking to nurture originality, encouraging creators to discard clichés and refine their best ideas.
Sean Davis, an Astoria-based director and producer known for his work in animated comedy, presents his latest film Almost Ten, selected for the 2025 FilmQuest Festival.
Featuring actors Carter Wescot, Stuart Parks, and Mae Aswell, the film delivers a witty tale of a deceptively innocent fish who outsmarts a robber.
With a background that includes work on Bill Plympton's feature "Slide," Davis infuses his signature humor and inventive storytelling into this genre-bending comedy.
What drew you to make this film? Why this story, and why now?
We liked the idea of a little girl fish tricking a robber. We liked this story because we knew people would love the surprise and see what a badass our main character could be. We made this film for the current media cycle because there isn't currently a ton of animated Adult Swim-like comedy, and we think contributing to that genre is something people want.
"We liked this story because we knew people would love the surprise and see what a badass our main character could be."
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process this time—creatively or logistically? Was there a moment on set or in post that completely changed how you saw the story?
Logistically, making the deadlines for the animators and them taking our notes. Nothing completely had us change the story as it is similar to the original script. We played with the main line for the surprise for a while but ended up going with what we originally thought worked since it does.
Is there a moment in the film that feels the most you—something only you could have made?
Yes, the surprise, it's original.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making this film?
Choosing the beginning music was a little tough since there were two tracks we really liked but ended up going with the newest one.
What do you hope audiences take away from your film?
That we make funny content and would wanna see more of our toons because of how much we made them laugh.
"The surprise, it's original."
How has this film shaped or shifted the kind of stories you want to tell next?
Yes, we believe we have many stories that are funnier and written better. We like this film, but we also believe our potential is much higher.
What’s a tool, technique, or resource that really helped you during production?
Working with the backgrounds in this project has shifted how we will do backgrounds in the future—the types of colors we like the ground to be specifically and how it sticks to our characters.
Independent filmmakers often rewrite the rules out of necessity. What do you think is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and how did you lean into that on this project? Is there a lesson or breakthrough you’d share with others navigating this path?
We believe our writing and jokes are one of our biggest strengths and think originality is on our side. I would say don't write the same stories everyone writes (you know the troupes) and throw out a million of your ideas so you can pick the best ones and nurture those.
What does it mean to you to have your film selected for FilmQuest, one of the world’s top reviewed genre film festivals?
We love FilmQuest! It's like a family and feels like home.
"Don't write the same stories everyone writes (you know the troupes) and throw out a million of your ideas so you can pick the best ones and nurture those."
FilmQuest celebrates the majesty and might of genre filmmaking across fantasy, horror, sci-fi, action, thriller, western, kung-fu, and beyond. How does your film fit within—or push the boundaries of—genre storytelling?
We believe it pushes the boundaries of comedy as we can produce ideas people haven't made before and also across various genres depending on the idea.
Where do you see this film going next?
We're doing a film festival run, so we can see it being played all over the country as well as our YouTube channel 'Legends of the Deep' when we release in 2026.
“At the core of all my work is a desire to make people laugh their asses off."
Cast & Crew
- Daniel Quinn — Writer/Director based in Providence, Rhode Island, with over 10 years of experience in comedy and animation; awarded Best Animated Short at The Lower Eastside Film Festival.
- Carter Wescot — Actor in "Almost Ten"
- Stuart Parks — Actor in "Almost Ten"
- Mae Aswell — Actor in "Almost Ten"
