Can't wait to see this when its done
This has amazing art and some very skillful and time consuming animation - far beyond what I'd expect to see going through the portal. I was wondering what the catch was - turns out its just a work in progress.
Even in the animatic stage this looks awesome - your story is really well thought out, and there are plenty of scenes I really want to see completed. One part that stood out was how your character leaps for the pearl, then does this happy spin.
You've got some really interesting sequences. I love how the tree falls down (and your camera angles), but its the stick afterward that makes the character turn around.
I'll be waiting patiently to see the finished result, this looks like its going to be amazing.