Hasta La Motion!

Chances are you’ve seen either one or both of the Oreo “Wonderfilled” spots that have been burning up the interwebs.

The :90 anthem was directed by Martin Allais with animation by his own animation shop, Studio Animal. (Not to be confused with the Korean studio by the same name.) It’s a tour de force of 2D character work, packed with cute moments of hesitation and punctuated by charming type.

The :30 version by Royale uses a 3D/2D technique similar to their Christmas short, The Bell Ringer.

The chronically catchy tune was penned by Martin Agency creative director Dave Muhlenfeld and performed by Owl City.

NOTE: This post was updated to correct the studio attributed to the :90 spot.

Credits

:90 Anthem (Martin Allais)
Client Credits:
Global Marketing Communication: Jill Baskin
Brand Marketing Director: Janda Lukin
Agency Credits:
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
Group Creative Director: Jorge Calleja
Creative Director: David Muhlenfeld
Creative Director: Magnus Hierta
Senior Art Director: Brig White
Planning Director: John Gibson
Managing Director: Steve Humble
Senior Broadcast Producer: Kathy Lippincott
Broadcast Producer: Heather Tanton
Broadcast Junior Producer: Caroline Helms
Production Company: Studio Animal
Director: Martin Allais
Producer: Maria Soler Chopo
Illustration: Martin Allais
Storyboards: Martin Allais
Animatic: Pere Hernández, Javi Vaquero, Matt Deans
Animator: Pere Hernández, Javi Vaquero, Pablo Navarro, Dani Alcaraz
Tracing and color:Ezequiel Cruz, Macarena Ortega, Eva Puyuelo, Joel Morales
Compositing: Santi Justribó Martin Allais
Music:
Music (performed by): Owl City (Adam Young)
Voiceover talent: Owl City (Adam Young)
Original Music and Lyrics: David Muhlenfeld (English Major, LLC)

:30 (Royale)
Executive Creative Director/Partner: Brien Holman
Managing Director/Partner: Jennifer Lucero
Art Director: Andy Lyon
Designers: Jonathan Kim, Andy Lyon, Jennifer Olive Lee, Jason Cook, George Fuentes, Anthony Madlangbayan
3D Modeling/Surfacing Lead: Juan Carlos Cuadra
3D Character Animation: Andy Lyon, James Lane, James Parris, Ian Mankowski
3D Rigging: Ian Mankowski
3D Modeling/Rendering: George Longo, Juan Carlos Cuarda, Ian Mankowski, John W. Nguyen
3D Animation: Orlando Costa, Kevin Tonkin
2D Cel Animation: Andy Lyon, Anthony Madlangbayan

Storyboard Artists: Scott Richie/Brian Koons
Compositing: Mike Humphries, Renzo Reyes, John W. Nguyen

Head of Production: Danielle Hazan
Producer: Jamey Kitchens

Posted on Motionographer

I gotta be honest, the real reason I was first attracted to Mesai’s “Alarm,” was for its beautifully soft lighting and rendering. On second pass, I noticed some of subtle character animation. But the story, I felt, dragged.

After talking it over with fellow Motionographer Greg Herman, though, I realized that was exactly the point. We’re pulled into this world where everything is punctuated by alarms, where every moment of stillness is just a preamble to the spine-wrenching squeal of a bell. Thus, the near real-time toaster sequence feels excruciatingly slow, the long ride in the elevator feels like a devilish trick.

Watching it a third time with this in mind, I found myself grinning wildly, enjoying the entire experience immensely.

You can download a 720p version of the film from Mesai, the animation partnership of Moohyun Jang and Jungoo Choo that created “Alarm.” You’ll also find some pre-production stills and a bevvy of test renders in the Alarm Introduction area of the site.

Posted on Motionographer