Little Nightmares 3 is a co-op horror adventure puzzle game developed by Supermassive Games. This trailer, commissioned by KWM and produced by our team at Ritzy Animation, reimagines the children’s journey as a series of unfolding nightmares, told through a handcrafted 2D paper-cut world to tease the upcoming third instalment of the beloved franchise.
Under my direction, a wonderfully talented team brought this paper world to life with care and imagination. Together, we crafted a piece that felt distinct within the wider campaign and, most importantly, connected with many of the game’s fans.
The animation was created frame by frame, drawing inspiration from the raw charm and creepiness of children’s drawings. These expressive, hand-animated characters were paired with richly textured background paintings, drawn in a crayon-like style that added unease and a storybook quality to the nightmares on screen.
Little Nightmares 3
credits
Client: KWM, Supermassive Games
Director: Maya Remenyi
Exec Producer: Dan Edgley
Storyboarding/Animatic: Maya Remenyi
Environment Paintings: Hannah Powell
Animation: Eduardo Vazquez, Cian Hughes, Beatriz Antunes, Maya Remenyi
Compositing: Tony Comley
DEVELOPMENT
In a quiet moment from the game, a sheet of paper unfolds to show a rough drawing of Low and Alone, hand in hand and smiling. That small, heartfelt image set the tone for the entire piece, inspiring a striking 2D world built from crayon lines and bold, childlike marks. The narrative moves through four iconic locations from the game — the Carnivale, Candy Factory, Institute, and Necropolis — where the children encounter the Residents while fleeing the ever-creeping darkness.
STORYBOARDS
The character designs were very much set in stone (or rather, set in game), so we happily stuck close to their original look.
Where we did get to have a bit more fun was everywhere else. We had plenty of freedom to play with the flow of the story, its pacing, and how one moment melts into the next.
The backgrounds were our playground — an open canvas where we could push texture, and atmosphere, and let the world wobble, stretch, and creep in ways that felt eerie and full of character.
Not every idea makes it into the final cut, but that’s all part of the fun. We still gave it our all, putting together an animatic that set the vibe and gave the animators a solid steer on how to bring these brilliant characters to life.
I couldn’t quite resist getting stuck in myself, so I jumped into animation and had a bit of fun bringing a section to life by hand. It was a proper joy to be part of the process alongside the team and sharing in the craft that made the whole piece feel so personal.
