Torrey Pines is a stop-motion animated feature film by director Clyde Petersen. Based on a true story, the film is a queer punk coming-of-age tale, taking place in Southern California in the early 1990's. Raised by a schizophrenic single mother, Petersen's life story unfolds in a series of baffling and hallucinated events. With a mother fueled by hallucinations of political conspiracy and family dysfunction, twelve-year-old Petersen is taken on a cross-country adventure that will forever alter the family as they know it.
Direction
Petersen's personal stop-motion built across 4+ years solo
Score
Kimya Dawson's fragile whimsical songs that cut deep
Practical Effects
Handmade cardboard sets that feel like memory itself
Director
Clyde Petersen
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Petersen animated entirely alone in their Seattle apartment using consumer-grade equipment and cardboard from the trash.
The film emerged from the same DIY queer punk scene that spawned bands like The Blow and Mirah, with Kimya Dawson's involvement connecting it to the Juno soundtrack moment.
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