Polymath Motion Rebrands Studio as OddBeast
September 17, 2024
Follow the Northern California river otter on a seasonal journey through the prismatic light of the High Sierras to the Pacific Ocean with this vivid mix of 2D/3D animation and hand drawn illustrations crafted by Bay Area production studio Little Fluffy Clouds for the River Otter Ecology Project. [Watch]
Accomplished character work and bang-on comic timing mark this short film called “Fuel” directed and animated in two months by third year MOPA (formerly Supinfocom Arles) student Camille Jalabert. [Watch]
A full-on jolt of visual caffeine, Stash 117 adds another 31 stellar video projects to the Stash Permanent Collection – the planet’s largest online archive of design, animation and VFX, plus behind-the-scenes features and exclusive interviews. [Watch]
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]
Spectacular self-initiated title sequence (with credit names borrowed from Ghost in the Shell characters) crafted by Beijing visual designer Zaoeyo (aka Xiaolin Zeng, aka Mike Zeng), a mesmerizing one-man tour de force of thoughtful details and shimmering refraction.
[Watch]
Director Shinsuke Jitsumori aims straight at the mysterious tastes of the domestic Japanese market with this super-campy retelling of Aesop’s fable “The North Wind and the Sun” for Kirin thru Dentsu.
[Watch]
If you’re having a rough day or just feeling very alone on the planet for whatever reason, take six minutes now and watch “Fired on Mars.” [Watch]
Stuttgart-based Axis director Abed Abonamous sets the tone for the latest release of Relic’s real-time strategy game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War with a literal rain death before launching a brutal and atmospheric parade of fantasy/scifi characters locked in spectacular combat. [Watch]
Wonderful mixed-media stop motion character animation from Manchester director/animator Steve Boot called “Once Upon a Blue Moon,” and a fave on the international film fest circuit. [Watch]
