The insight was that Woodland Park Zoo is a living, breathing thing. No matter how often you visit, it’s never the same zoo twice. So, we brought this living zoo to life with big, flowing, surprising animations, moving quickly from micro to macro. For the animation, the key was to create an ownable illustration style while staying true to the unique animals and environments. The illustrators worked closely with the client to ensure every last animal detail was represented.

Our process involved designing each character traditionally, based on extensive reference searches. Once the character was completed, the character was broken down into individual components using Illustrator. The character is then rigged and animated in After Effects as flat shapes. Once the animation is finished and approved, each element is recomposed using scanned and colored paper to give the overall piece a handmade feel