The new mobile gaming app from Australian developer Halfbrick (packaging up hits such as Fruit Ninja, and Jetpack Joyride) opens with this rampaging sequence from a team lead by Brisbane-based CD Dan Rice.

Dan Rice: “There is no one art style that defines a Halfbrick game. From Fruit Ninja, to Fish Out of Water, they all look completely different. To bridge this, I pitched a bricolage/collage style sequence, mixing different art and animation styles to create a new mixed style that brings characters together in a unified world.

Ruben Almeida, Art director: “When constructing the style frames I had vision of how the different styles could fit together in a playful manner. The main ingredient for that was connecting them through little elements such as patterns, similar textures and backgrounds so they felt they belonged to the same universe but different worlds.
 

“I wanted the sequence to feel fast and exciting. Like a mix between a Saturday morning cartoon intro and a roller coaster ride.”

 
“It was also important to capture a feeling of nostalgia. People have grown up playing Halfbrick’s games and we needed to capture what that feels like. Through sound design that features snippets of classic Halfbrick sounds, Easter Eggs that fans old and new will pick up on, and leaning into character tropes (e.g. the secret rivalry between Barry and The Ginger Ninja).

“I wanted the sequence to feel fast and exciting. Like a mix between a Saturday morning cartoon intro and a roller coaster ride. We made sure that the most important part of each shot was dead centre in the frame. This gives the feeling of a ride and also ensures the open looks great no matter what device you’re using.”
 
 

 
Client: Halfbrick
EP: Shainiel Deo
Producer: Sue Swinburne
Creative Director: Dan Rice
Supervising Animation Director: Brendan Deboy
Production Manager: Paris Ormerod
Pitch Style frames: Agata Musial, Dan Rice
Storyboards: Brendan Deboy
Art director: Ruben Almeida
Marketing: Sue Swinburne, Brendan Deboy, Prim Poungpet, Vishal Mahadeo, Paris Ormerod, David Perez
Character Animator: Tom Ward
Cel Animator: Ruben Almeida
Motion Designer: Dan Rice, David Perez, Joel Sankey
Editor/compositor/3D artist: Dan Rice

Music: Ricardo Melo, Ricardo Pujol, Yannis Brown
Sound Design/mix: Jamie Campbell