“The Momentous Moments of Max and Maxine” is the story of a man and his granddaughter who get lost in their imaginations, enjoying the little things that make up their day. Max is fighting advanced cancer, but he’s able to lose himself fully in a day of play with Maxine, so much so that it feels like he’s a kid again. During this imaginative romp, they wander the daffodil kingdom, scramble on top of toadstools, attend a surprising opera performance, nab courtside seats at a fantastical basketball game, and embrace life to the fullest – despite the whirlwind of advanced cancer looming in the back of Max’s mind. Max embodies the deep commitment to enjoyment of life that we know cancer patients want for themselves – it’s what enables both Max and our patients to continue to fight, day in and day out, for their lives.

To further evoke the childlike wonder and heartfelt attention that infuses Max’s time with Maxine and propels his fight, stop-motion animation was determined as the ideal medium. In keeping with the notion that something small can feel quite immense, everything was built from scratch. Nothing was store-bought. This included miniature clothes, hand-crafted and stitched by seamstresses; set design, with hundreds of feet of crepe paper folded to form the daffodil kingdom; and character design, with 250 3D-printed pieces then meticulously painted. For the epic ocean scene, water – commonly considered to be one of the biggest challenges in stop-motion – was accomplished via a custom-built ocean wave-generating rig, a first-of-its-kind achievement.

Everyone involved was highly specialized – we had people highly experienced in molding techniques, some who were professional leather workers. One artist had studied basket weaving for many years. Each artisan contributed their specialty to build this detail-rich world.

According to the US Federal Trade Commission, advertisements must be truthful, cannot be deceptive or unfair, and must be evidence-based. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration advises that disease-related advertisements/communications be disease or health condition-specific, enhance education, be clear and accurate, and contain a responsible public health message.

Our audience is consumers with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Because the prognosis with advanced cancer can be grim, these patients need to dig deep into the well of their resolve to keep pressing forward – often drawing strength from the little moments they share with their loved ones.