This promo for Cartoon Network’s series Over the Garden Wall places viewers inside the beautiful CG/stop-motion animation pages of a forest-woven book, seamlessly transitioning to clips from the 2D animated TV show.
“I wanted to take the well worn old trope of ‘from the vaults’ or ‘magic book opening’ and add a new twist to it,” said director Solomon Burbridge of animation studio BENT Image Lab. “The idea of an infinite tunnel book was a great way to further this idea by giving the interior pages dimension and atmosphere. I wanted this to stand apart from and also support the show that it is promoting.”
Taking artistic inspiration from Victorian parlor tricks and paper craft, the opening shot rests on a practical book that flips open to reveal a CG owl, sitting above a forest path. The camera sucks the eye down the path and segues to snippets from the actual series.
“The biggest challenge as with most multi-media spots is the integration, making sure it looks as seamless as possible,” said Burbridge. “From the stop motion book to the CG interior it had to seem at once fantastic and believable.”
Credits
Client Cartoon Network Larry Morris, creative director/writer; Calvin Florian, Eric Nelson, sr. production managers; Branden Colilns, designer; Mike Voulgaris, editor; Greg Gause, sound engineer; Jack Jones, voiceover narration. Production Bent Image Lab, Portland, Ore. Solomon Burbridge, director; Ray DiCarlo, Tsui Ling Toomer, exec producers; Robert D’Esposito, producer; Greg Arden, art director; Jesse McManus, designer; Javan Ivey, stop motion animator. VFX Bent Image Lab Orland Nutt, Dan Kim, compositors; Joshua Cox, Stef Kofman, technical directors; Andrew Dieffenbach, CG animator; Galen Beals, lighting technical director; Rian Peterson, CG modeler. Music The Blasting Company Post Bent Image Lab Brent Helse, editor.
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The filmโs protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a childโs life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace โ Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the โBullying-Free Schoolsโ program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
โResearch indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
