80% of the worlds fish stocks are in danger because of widespread unsustainable fishing practices, but they happen underwater and out of sight so most people have no idea how harmful these practices can be. WWF Canada wanted to show Canadians the impact of unsustainable fishing in a way they could relate to. Asking the simple question: “What if we farmed the way we fished?” framed unsustainable fishing practices in a way every Canadian could understand.

Using a hybrid system of 2d cell animation and 3d animation hand painted landscapes were projected onto 3d objects. This allowed the terrain within the animation to move with a unique sense of depth. The characters were hand animated digitally using a tablet then rendered out and composited into the 3d sculpted landscape. Special 3d shaders were written and developed to create close-up objects such as leaves, grass, water, etc, so that they visually tied in with the hand painted backdrops and scenery. To finalize everything and make it stick together, photographic and atmospheric elements such as fog and depth of field were added. The animation was then carefully adjusted to pace perfectly with the music and the slow reveal of the impactful message at the end of the spot.