Ms Kayleigh Paige Gemmell graduated summa cum laude with honours in bachelor of arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) for research that looked into notions of hyperrealism, a concept that is actively explored through the animated medium and championed by animation industries such as Walt Disney Studios.

Gemmell, in particular, looked at the ways in which different hyperrealities were constructed within the animated medium and how other animation industries have adopted and altered this technique while engaging broadly on notions of feminism, environmental decay, the conceptual or psychological basis of ‘cartoons’ and the capabilities of the animated medium.