Let’s face it: modern life is just too convenient. There was a time when we had to at least make an effort when we got hungry, but no more. That’s why Bristol, U.K.-based Aardman Animations, turned their 3D animation talents towards getting England healthy again.
Directed by Aardman director Steve Harding Hill, Change4Life (www.change4life.com) uses whimsical, stop-motion style animation of both the 2D and 3D variety to urge Britons of all ages and sizes to “eat better, move more, and live longer.”
Opening with two brightly colored, plasticine-like people against a simple 2D backdrop, a laidback sounding voiceover begins: “Once upon a time, life was pretty simple…” One of the characters hits a tree with a club and catches a falling apple, while another chases a wooly mammoth, and still another clubs a dinosaur into submission. As life becomes more modern, however, such active food gathering is replaced by comfy cars, more comfy buses, video games and fast food. Suddenly the characters realize the children are gathering more and more fat into their systems. A visual aid reveals how this can lead to “heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and many could have their lives cut short.” Shocked, our characters rush to a park to eat better, move more, and live longer. The message could not be more clear, but it is funny and engaging to watch.
“We were committed to this very straightforward, simple approach,” said Hill. “Initially, we thought that approach would be best served through strictly 2D animation, but came to believe that the characters could be made more tactile and organic. We wanted things to be stop motion-like, not too slick and stylized. We ended up making photocopies of our drawings, sticking them to polyboard, and shooting them with still cameras. Our backgrounds were created like theater sets, flat and layered up. The black lines were crucial to the overall graphic sensibility and also made it possible for us to do some 2D animation and mix things up a bit.”
Creatives for M&C Saatchi, London, were James Lowther and Bill Gallagher.
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More