Speedway Drift: A Screenplay for an Animated Feature

My thesis is a feature-length script for an animated film titled Speedway Drift. Set in the year 2064, star racer Grace Jackson is competing in an international racing tournament where she's partnered up with young newcomer Faye Sōtō in a series of dangerous obstacle courses, all while confronting memories of her emotionally-abusive father. The central focus of the story is father-child relationships—Faye's father demonstrates a supportive and constructive parent figure in their life, contrasting Grace, who feels challenged by her father, the now-deceased celebrity racecar driver Montel Jackson. The story examines the repercussions of emotional abuse, as Grace deals with self-doubt and the overcritical mindset she takes after her father. When Faye becomes her partner in the competition, Grace’s contemptuous demeanor towards Faye make the two teammates incompatible. Grace questions Faye’s abilities as a newcomer, but as the tournament progresses, Faye’s confident performance brings top rankings for their team, while Grace falls short and becomes increasingly self-doubtful. It’s established that Grace is shadowed by her media-embellished famous father, Montel Jackson. We learn halfway through the story that she’s haunted by memories of Montel’s abusive coaching. In flashbacks, he uses negative words for reinforcement and criticizes her when she doesn’t get a perfect score. Grace wants to overcome her trauma in order to be a great racer, but doesn’t know how. Once she and Faye connect, Faye reassures Grace’s abilities as a professional racer and it ultimately helps her succeed. The story is important in regards to its exploration of emotional trauma, fatherhood, mental health, media influence, and friendship.

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Theatre and Dance

Grantor

Texas State University

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Jones, Emery

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Silverstein, Annie

Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember

• McAllister, Johnny

• racecar screenplay
• speedways
• drifts
• speedway drifts
• narrative films
• feature screenplays
• animations

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10877/19387

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.txst.edu:10877/19387