London’s Huge Designs (whose work we track here) answers the call to communicate the tone, setting, character, and context for the Disney+ TV series Rivals based on the 1980s novels by English author Jilly Cooper.

Tamsin McGee, CD at Huge: “Firstly, we needed to present 1986 Britain through a 2024 global lens. The sequence needed to honor fans of Jilly Cooper’s books while remaining universally relatable and significant yet feel fresh and not become a pastiche rendering of the eighties.
 

“We devised a sequence comprised of animated ‘book covers’ — each showcasing an element that celebrated the racy reputation of the content while treading a fine line between subtlety and overly obvious innuendo.”

 
“Other challenges of the brief were how to signify the sexy ‘bonkbuster’ motif cheekily without being crass, how to introduce elements of a backstory in a stylish, concise way and how to introduce the concept of rivalry visually.

“The covers of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals novels are iconic, with a striking red and white color scheme and provocative vignettes that indicate the themes within the book. Influenced by this premise, we devised a sequence comprised of animated ‘book covers’ — each showcasing an element that celebrated the racy reputation of the content while treading a fine line between subtlety and overly obvious innuendo.

“Each scenario is set within an infinitely off-white environment, with strong shadows and the addition of a red focal point. The chosen subject matter imbues the glamorous and lavish lifestyles of the characters, with nods to the rivalrous storylines that occur throughout the season.”
 
 

 
Client: Happy Prince, Disney+
Director: Elliot Hegarty

Production: Huge Designs
CD/Lead Animator: Ben Hanbury
Animator/Designer: Tamsin McGee, Hugo Moss, Paul McDonnell

Music: Jack Halama, Natalie Holt