Johnny Kelly of Nexus directed a stop-motion love letter to the patchwork quilt of family-run farms that make up Chipotle's supply chain. Titled "A Future Begins" out of agency Observatory, the film took the #1 slot in SHOOT's Top Five VFX/Animation Chart of 2021.

Also in the Chart mix are: "Time Flies," a watercolor-style animated piece that celebrates the work of the U.K.'s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; an anti-knife crime campaign film that brings the slain Kiyan Prince back to virtual life to show what he would have accomplished if he hadn't been stabbed to death at the age of 15; a commercial for Smart Energy Great Britain which features a a digital version  of Albert Einstein created through performance capture and CGI; and a spot which shows how smart an HP+ smart printer can be in a home filled with home devices and a mischievous cat.

So take a look at the best storytelling that visual effects and animation have to offer in 2021.

1:  Top Spot of the Week: Director Johnny Kelly, Observatory Head Back To The Farm For Chipotle “Future” Sequel

Client Chipotle Agency Observatory, Los Angeles Production Nexus Studios, London & Los Angeles Johnny Kelly, director & storyboards; Isobel Conroy, sr. producer; Nicole Lopez, production manager; Delfina Maria, production assistant; Melanie Climent, art director; Mark Davies, studio technical lead and 3D previs; Steve White, 3D previs; Fabien Glasse, 3D previs modeler; German Diez, lead compositor; Osman Baloglu, Dalvir Matharu, Gareth Tredrea, compositors; Dave Slade, editor; Duncan Russell, grade; Toby Howell, DP; Robert Thorpe, 1st AD; James Gillett, moco operator; Gary Cureton, Matthew Cooper, lead animators; Tobias Fouracre, additional animator; Robin Jackson, animation rigger; Gordon Allen, art director; Jasmine Nixon, assistant art director; Araba Ocran, sculptor & scenic painter; Areeya Bass, Connor Chung, modelmakers; Collette Pidgeon, laser cut prep; Ewen Dickie, laser cutting; Rosie Tonkin, Brin Frost, standby art dept./set dressing; Ben Cote, stage construction; Richard Davidson, scenic & props painter; Daisy Garside, studio manager; Paul Mortimer, COVID officer/medic. (Toolbox: Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya, AfterEffects, Dragonframe, Nuke) Puppets Sculpt Double, London Joshua Flynn, Nathan Flynn, puppet makers; Laura Tofarides, Rachel Brown, puppet modelmakers. Sound Fonic Barnaby Templer, sound supervisor; Christopher Swaine, sound designer & dubbing mixer; Rory Hunter, Foley recordist; Sue Harding, Foley artist; Ryan Kelly, sound assistant; Eugenie Dunster, audio post coordinator. Music Music by Kacey Musgraves; Ian Fitchuk, Daniel Tashian, Kacey Musgraves, producers. The Elements Music, additional production; Craig Alvin, recorder/mixer; Source Sound Inc. & The Elements music, additional mix. Published by Universal Music-MGB Songs. Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Will Champion, Jonathan Buckland, writers.

2:  Top Spot of the Week: Aardman Captures The Beauty of Birds In Animated Watercolor Film “Time Flies” For RSPB

Client RSPB Agency Catsnake--The Story Agency Edward Dark, creative director; Luzy Fazey, producer. Production/Animation Aardman, Bristol, UK  Bram Ttwheam, director, matte painter; Stephanie Owen, producer; Amy Davies, production coordinator; Jim Grant, matte painter; Trine Sorenson, modeler; Chuen Tsang, modeler & lighting; Tessa Mapp, technical director; Jono Candlish-Wilson,  Maciej Wojtkiewicz, animators; Chris Hawkes, Bram Ttwheam, Paule Quinton, Jeff Dillon, Daniel Blore, Jim Lewis, compositors; Greg Martin, rigger; Dan Wiliamson, editor. (Toolbox: Maya, Arnold, Photoshop, Fresco, After Effects, Houdini, Nuke, Resolve) Audio Matthew Loveridge, sound mixer. Music Michael Csanyi-Wills. Voiceover Jim Broadbent

3:  Top Spot of the Week: ENGINE Creative, Framestore Bring Kiyan Prince Back To Virtual Life For Anti-Knife Crime Campaign

Client Kiyan Prince Foundation Agency ENGINE Creative, London Billy Faithfull, chief creative officer; David Dearlove, Richard Nott, Orlando Warner, creative directors; David Dearlove, Richard Nott, creatives; Katie Farmer, executive producer; Seb Roskell, producer; Leo Birch, content strategist.  Production Company ENGINE Film David Dearlove, director; Debbie Impett, producer; Jakub Pieta, assistant producer; Jamie Thodesen, motion graphics designer; Oliver Schofield, Steve Montgomery, DPs. Editorial ENGINE Film Sam Hopkins, editor. VFX/Post Framestore, London Mike McGee, chief creative officer; Karl Wooley, global real-time director; Johannes Saam, creative technologist; Markus Schmidt, global head of creaturs; David Lochhead, sr. designer; Chris Scalf, artist. (Toolbox: Initial likeness: Photoshop, Zbrush, Maya [inc. XGen], Deep Fake: Blender, Houdini, Zbrush, Nuke [inc. new CopyCat node]) AI Electric Lens Co., Sydney Matt Hermans, CG supervisor. Postproduction Nineteen Twenty, London Kai Van Beers, colorist; Robert Lilley, 2D lead; Paul Branch, sr. producer; Claire Cullen, producer; Robyn Borrageiro, assistant producer. Sound Design & Music String and Tins Joe Wilkinson, Jim Stewart; Laura-Leigh Smith, audio producer.

4:  The Mill Deploys A CGI Albert Einstein For Smart Energy GB, AMV BBDO

Client Smart Energy GB Agency AMV BBDO, London Alex Grieve, chief creative officer; Nadja Lossgott, Nicholas Hulley, executive creative directors; Matt Swinburne, creative director; Laurens Grainger, copywriter; Alicia Cliffe, art director; Simon Dilks, designer; Zoe Robley, producer. Production Company MJZ, bicoastal/international Rocky Morton, director; Sara Nouman, Eliott Tag, producers. VFX The Mill, London Alex Hammond, creative director, VFX supervisor, shoot supervisor; Chris Allen, exec producer; Sean Francis, producer, 3D lead artist; Ben Turner, 2D lead artist; Matthew McDougal, 2D artist; Harsh Borah, Clare Williams, Andreas Graichen, Maria Carriedo, Sefki Ibrahim, Joao Pires, Dan Yargici, 3D artists; Ross Urien, matte painting; Freya Barnsley, designer; Gabriela Goncalves, production coordinator; James Bamford colorist. (Toolbox: Volumetric data capture hardware (from DI4D), Maya, Houdini, Zbrush, Mari, Nuke) Audio Post 750mph and Wave. Estate Representation, Licensing and Rights Clearance provided by Greenlight – Part of Ben Group inc Rights Services: Sonia Bouadma and Giulia Castelli Personality rights of ALBERT EINSTEIN are used with permission of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Represented exclusively by Greenlight.

5:  Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Director Lance Acord Get “Smart” For HP

Client Hewlett Packard (HP) Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners Rich Silverstein, co-chairman/co-founder; Laura Petruccelli, executive creative director; Wes Dorsainvil, Joshua Hacohen, associate creative directors; Andrew Congleton, art director; Zak DeLange, copywriter; Leila Gage, director of production; Tess Kenner, executive producer/producer; Bonnie Wan, partner, head of brand strategy; Christine Chen, partner, head of communication strategy; Dong Kim, group communication strategy director; Matt Hudgins, sr. communications strategist; Kelly Evans-Pfeifer, group brand strategy director; Cassidy Wilber, brand strategy director. Production Company Park Pictures Lance Acord, director/DP; Jackie Kelman Bisbee, Scott Howard, exec producers; Anne Bobroff, sr. head of production; Caroline Kousidonis, exec producer/producer; James Chinlund, production designer. Editorial Exile Kirk Baxter, Zaldy Lopez, editors; Jennifer Chung, assistant editor; CL Kumpata, exec producer; Jennifer Locke, head of production; Toby Louie, post producer. VFX/Finishing a52, Santa Monica, Calif. Pat Murphy, Jesse Monsour, VFX supervisor; Andrew Romatz, CG supervisor; Matt Sousa, Stefan Gaillot, Michael Vaglienty, Patrick Poulatian, Chris Riley, Dan Ellis, Sam Kolber, John Valle, Kevin Stokes, Ujala Saini, Kirk Balden, 2D VFX artists; Bryan Cox, Ariana Ziae Mohseni, Ziyan Zhang, Mike Dupree, Josh Dyer, Jade Smrz, José Limon, CG artists; Ekin Akalin, Cindy SooHoo, Sky Bird, Laura Reedy, 2D designers; Jillian Lynes, producer; Stacy Kessler-Aungst, head of production; Patrick Nugent, Kim Christensen, exec producers; Jennifer Sofio Hall, managing director. (Toolbox: Flame, Maya, Vray, ZBrush, Substance Painter, PFTrack) Telecine Primary Daniel de Vue, colorist; Ale Amato, Corey Martinez, David Oh, color assists; Jenny Bright, color producer; Thatcher Peterson, exec producer. Music RNDM ORDR Robert Miller, composer; Rani Zarina Vaz, exec producer; Ayesha Hassan, producer; Marc McClusky, record & mix. Sound Design Martin Hernandez, M.P.S.E.; Jaime Sainz, assistant FX editor; Alan Riva-Palacio, Jaime Sainz, foley. Sound Design LSD Michael Anastasi, sound designer; Kai Paquin, sound design assistant. Audio Mix Lime Studios Matt Miller, mixer; Ian Connie, audio assistant; Kayla Phungglan, sr. producer; Susie Boyajan, exec producer.