Few things will perk up a Friday like discovering great new work from a studio you’ve never heard of. Witness the careful lighting, subtle character work and palpable teenage angst in this spec Coke spot called “Am I in Your Mind” from three-year old Hong Kong VFX house HEHAAA. [Watch]
Stink director Marcio Leitão (a.k.a Squarehead) tranforms the simplest of sketches by illustrator Daniel Semanas and the smooth VO from UK actor Nick Brimble into the most minimal animated TV spot we’ve seen this decade. [Watch]
London creative agency DBLG responds to an open brief from Decca Classics to celebrate the music label’s deep library of string artists with this stand out film – both startling and serene, photo-real and abstract – set to “Spiegel im Spiegel” by Avro Part. [Watch]
UK sound designer Simon Pyke’s ongoing 30 Seconds project (challenging filmmakers to freely interpret a supplied audio clip) causes three directors from PostPanic in Amsterdam to abandon any sense of impropriety in what the studio calls “an x-rated cocktail of cell animation, stop motion, motion graphics and a lot of genitalia.” [Watch]
London animator/illustrator Yukai Du‘s second TED-ed lesson is possibly the most lush and relaxing explainer video of all time. This four and half-minute animated film, written by UC Davis ecologist Richard Karban, demonstrates how plants communicate with each other especially when they’re under attack. [Watch]
Back in 2011 the creative force known as Three Legged Legs (Casey Hunt, Greg Gunn and Reza Rasoli) shut the doors after a six-year run. Before they parted ways, the trio directed and animated this impossibly infectious anthem for Method Cleaners shown on Virgin America flights. [Watch]
