Director Elyse Kelly, who’s Fired Up short film still resonates five years on, marks the launch of her studio by gathering 20 animators for a collaborative love letter to the diversity of America called “The Greatest Poem”.

Elyse Kelly: “I’ve been directing teams for a number of years now, so starting a studio felt like a natural next step. Neon Zoo specializes in creating both impact-driven and artistically-minded documentaries, commercials, and original content.

“To accompany the announcement, we released a new film that embodies the heart and soul of what Neon Zoo is all about. Inspired by the words of Walt Whitman, The Greatest Poem was made into a beautiful whole by a team of 20+ artists from around the world.”
 

 
Client: Arena Stage

Production: Neon Zoo
Director: Elyse Kelly
Writer: Philippa Hughes
Sequence director (in order of appearance): Rohan McDonald, Nazlı Cem, Zoë Soriano, Eric Larson, Catalina Matamoros, Cynthia Chu, Yoon Su Lee, Nijah Brown, Sofia Diaz, Mithra Krishna, Jackson Ammenheuser, Megan Jedrysiak, Matea Losenegger, Angela Hsieh, Ana Mouyis, Sara Spink, Selina Donahue, Dena Springer, Dorca Musseb

Additional design: Darren Enterline

Music/sound design: Cathead Noise, Lunar Year
Narrator: Raechel Wong