Model Sheet - Cai Loon/Captain Crane
Using an animal as a superhero’s moniker or source of her power is a trope I’ve always been interested in. The crane, with its heavy presence in Asian mythology, has generally been used as a vessel of exoticism by Hollywood and popular culture (cough, Karate Kid, cough, Kung Fu Panda, cough cough). Therefore, I was interested in exploring the crane as a different type of hero. I started to write a children’s story about a little boy who could turn into a paper crane. His weaknesses are many (i.e., water, fire, bookworms) but he makes up for them with his swiftness and bravery, aspects which he’ll later realize he has always had.
I named the boy Cai Loon, after the Chinese patron saint of paper, and set the story in Holyoke, Massachusetts, America’s paper city.
