In an era where content often competes for attention with loud voices and flashy effects, animator Matthew Check has chosen a different path. His award-winning series “Mammoth” features no dialogue, letting music and visuals tell the story – a creative choice that stems from his 20-year journey as a musician. As the founder of Cosmic Comics Productions and a teacher at Middlesex College, Check has found a unique way to blend his love for animation, music, and nature into a distinctive artistic voice that’s garnering recognition across film festivals.
Indie Shorts Mag: Your animated series “Mammoth” features no dialogue, letting the visuals and music tell the story. What inspired this artistic choice, and how does it influence your storytelling approach?
Matthew Check: There’s a few different reasons that Mammoth and his botanical friends don’t have mouths and don’t talk. When I was originally creating Mammoth in college I was cautioned about relying on dialogue and taught how it isn’t be necessary to tell a story. So there’s always been an emphasis on gestural animation in my studies. But more than that I became an animator because I am primarily a musician. So scoring Mammoth and expressing different moods for different scenes with the music is really my favorite part of all of the process. There’s something really special for me when the animation and music line up and form a synergy.
Indie Shorts Mag: As both an animator and musician with 20 years of guitar experience, how do you approach the synthesis of visual and musical elements in your work, particularly in “Mammoth: Chasing the Rainbow”?
Matthew Check: Lately the animation has been coming first. It used to be, and sometimes still is, the other way around where i’m animating to music. But lately, i’ll animate a whole lot of scenes in a sequence with different moods and tones before, and then i’ll just record lots of different music as possible contenders to match. I’m always trying to keep in mind releasing extended soundtracks alongside my animations. So most of the soundtrack to Mammoth: Chasing the Rainbow are just segments of whole tracks i’ve recorded, and then edited in based on the needs of the scene. I will say sometimes it’s really deliberately edited, and sometimes kismet things happen and scores and animations just seem to sync and fall into place. Not always, but it’s happened to me enough times that I keep chasing those magical moments where it all just lines up better than you originally imagined.
Indie Shorts Mag: You mention drawing inspiration from nature, particularly Mammoth Sunflowers. Could you elaborate on how your gardening hobby influences your creative work and the character designs in the “Mammoth” series?
Matthew Check: Plain and simple, gardening soothes your soul, and really puts everything into perspective when spend enough time. I feel like there are a lot of qualities in gardening that are mirrored in art. Being consistent. Weeding requires attention to detail and serves the greater plant. There’s just lots of times where I’m working on whatever it may be and that level of patience and hope comes in handy. There’s also some real power in plant consciousness, and I think plants are way too often regarded almost as furniture, when they’re really closer to pets if you look close enough and tune into them. Ultimately gardening is something that’s gone on in my family as far back as I know. I think there’s far too little emphasis on gardening, if not for the fruits of our labor, for mental health. It’s just something I aspire to keep in my life as ritual and I look forward to passing on the tradition, as it was passed on from my father to me.
Indie Shorts Mag: Having grown up during the creator-driven cartoon renaissance of the late 90s/early 2000s, how have shows like KaBlam! and Dexter’s Lab influenced your animation style and storytelling?
Matthew Check: I feel like no one remembers KaBlam!, so just happy to be talking about that show! With Dexter, I mean, Genndy Tartakovsky is a genius! Craig McKracken too! Those guys are my heroes! The list goes on, Butch Hartman, Rob Renzetti, Joe Murray. Too many more. Stephen Hillenburg. Craig Bartlett. I’m gonna stop cause there’s too many. But those guys are inspirations. I’m gonna give a shoutout to Julian who runs the What’s in my Head Podcast which is essentially a love letter/time capsule for 90s/2000s animation. I find myself listening in while I draw and find it really inspiring to hear lots of different experienced animators, storyboard artists, voice actors, heros of mine, etc. reminsce and share stories and wisdom!
I may have dodged this question a little, but it’s only because that’s a long way for me to say I hope that I could have a fraction of what those guys all achieved when it comes to my animation style and storytelling. “We’re all standing on the shoulders of giants”.
Indie Shorts Mag: “Mammoth: Chasing the Rainbow: Chapter 8” recently won Best Animation Short at the New Jersey Film Awards. How has your approach to the series evolved since creating “Mammoth: Primal Thirst”?
Matthew Check: Yes it did. Thank you for acknowledging that! A lot has happened since my first short with Mammoth: Primal Thirst. After I got out of college studying 3D animation I found freelance work storyboarding, and that’s what got me working with my drawing tablet. I think that’s what really put me back to that place I was when I was a child just drawing all of the time. Which is the heart of Mammoth. So when that work wrapped up, I just started wanting to try my hand at taking my Mammoth comics and bringing them closer to being full on animations little by little.
It meant working through the earlier drawings I’d wracked up analog back in late 2020. By analog I mean I drew Mammoth: Chasing the Rainbow Chapters 1-6 on paper, (something like 200 pages all together) they were all scanned and brought into PS, cleaned up and colored. But Chapters 7 and on have been drawn straight into my drawing tablet and then just colored right after there. This saves me countless hours of scanning and editing, and also increased the potential for full on animation tenfold. Which is why Chapters 7 and beyond are so much more animated, whereas Chapters 1-6 are more animatic-esque.
So while my mediums have technically changed slightly, I think that having my foot in the 3D world while also dabbling on my own in my spare time in the 2D realm, it’s a nice balance. The principles of animation are the same regardless. It’s not say I don’t think I would do anything in 3D with Mammoth again someday way off, but I think the next 3D project will be a different idea, and Mammoth and his botanical friends I think have found a happy home in these 2D Motion Graphic centric animations.
Indie Shorts Mag: As someone who now teaches 3D Animation at Middlesex College, where you once studied, what key lessons do you aim to impart to the next generation of animators?
Matthew Check: Let me start by saying I never thought in a million years I’d be fortunate enough to be in the position in now teaching 3D Animation at Middlesex College. I’m still trying really hard to live up to the standard my professor Richard Thompson had set there. I again echo, “We’re all standing on the shoulders of giants”. In that regard, I’m just trying my best to carry the torch. I think clarity of storytelling is pretty central to everything we do. But the spirit of enjoying the work you do and working hard passionately; the harder you work the luckier you get. That’s what I hope to keep alive in the spirits of the animators coming out of Middlesex.
Indie Shorts Mag: Could you walk us through your creative process when developing an episode of “Mammoth” – from initial concept to the integration of music and animation?
Matthew Check: A lot of what I’m pulling from is my own personal life, and a lot of influences from all across the board behind the scenes while I work. An example of this might be how my love of the show LOST crept in a bit into Chasing the Rainbow Chapters 2 and 3. But I have a list of inspiration/ideas that I’ve crafted over time and have been working through slowly and surely. Sort of like a story to do-list. I think what Mammoth’s turning into in a lot of ways is a love letter to all the different fantasies and myths that I grew up watching and loving as a kid. So I am mixing and matching a lot of influences and stories, with a healthy dose of my own imagination in the mix.
As concrete as I can get in terms of describing the process mechanically is I’m checking items off my list as I draw the scenes in editable layers (so everything and everyone can be animated). Then after the chapter is all drawn, I move it into the editing software and start setting up the dominoes so to speak. Scene by scene. Until I have enough that I feel I should start working on the music. Sometimes that makes me change the timing slightly, but mostly I know the timing of the scenes at this point and i’m tailoring the music to match the vibe of the given scene, so it generally will fit. And if it doesn’t I’ll try a new piece. Generally in the first or second go though it’s usually there.
Again, it’s not say it can’t be the other way around. Primal Thirst’s soundtrack was composed before hand to the original Mammoth comic, and then that entire animation was timed around the score. It definitely can go both ways. I just lately have been working with music last, and then finding the right place to edit it in/cut things a bit to match.
Indie Shorts Mag: Your work with Cosmic Karma Collective seems to parallel your animation career. How do these two creative outlets inform and complement each other?
Matthew Check: They do. I think we’re talking about something a little more ethereal, and it’s hard to put that into words at times. But there’s some real magic in music. My music career and animation career do seem to eb flow a bit in terms of seasons. It’s definitely a balancing act. When one thing picks up the other usually lets down a bit. Never really out of desire, just the way things tend to go, for one reason or another. Lately “Cosmic Karma” has just been synonymous with “Matt Check” since the bands gone on hiatus. I had a couple cool solo shows over the summer. But I do want to say to all my fellow Cosmic Karma-nauts out there reading this, I miss you all and hope we can jam again sooner than later.
But there’s reasons for every season. And the band has come and gone in the past a few times. I’m hopeful if I keep sharp i’ll be ready for the next opportunity, or the next chapter of Cosmic Karma, whatever it may be.
Indie Shorts Mag: The “Mammoth” series has a unique blend of whimsy and darker themes, particularly evident in Chapter 8’s climax. What influenced this tonal balance in your storytelling?
Matthew Check: PTSD and channeling some personal trauma. I know what you’re generally referencing. And I will say this, I think cartoon violence draws a line in the sand. I personally can’t stand gore in film. I don’t enjoy movies or shows that use it/rely on it; I look away. Some good shows straddle the line. That’s a personal issue of mine. But I think there’s a comical line in the sand when it comes to cartoon violence for me. So maybe it’s a self measuring stick of how far i’m willing to animate. More than likely though it’s just me processing some trauma. Again, this is all a reflection from my imagination.
I will say you can’t have the light without the dark. Mammoth and his botanical friends live in a real world with real consequences just like ours. The sweet is meaningless without the sour.
Indie Shorts Mag: Your background spans music, animation, and teaching, while being influenced by nature and classic cartoons. How do you envision these diverse elements shaping the future of Cosmic Comics Productions, and what new directions are you excited to explore?
Matthew Check: I really just hope to keep growing and learning in all of those different aspects of my life! It’s a balancing act for sure, but I love my life and I am grateful for all that’s happened and that’s to come! Thinking about starting an Etsy and selling my Cactus (Euphorbia Trigona) cutlings! Cosmic Cacti! I’m only half kidding.
You can expect to see some more animations in the next few months. No promises exactly when, as I am gearing up to study for my Masters and life is a balancing act. I have a lovely girlfriend Nadia who I love spending time with. But all things in all good time. Whatever is coming around the corner, I am looking forward to it!
From tending to his beloved Mammoth Sunflowers to composing scores for his animations, Check’s artistic process mirrors the organic growth he nurtures in his garden – patient, purposeful, and deeply rooted in personal expression. As he balances teaching, creating, and pursuing his master’s degree, his commitment to authentic storytelling continues to evolve. Whether through the silent adventures of a sunflower hero or the melodies of Cosmic Karma, Matthew Check’s work reminds us that sometimes the most powerful stories are told without words, but with heart, harmony, and a touch of whimsy.
