Animation

Animation  / Production

Reel FX New Animated Movie “Back to the Outback” Scheduled for December 10th Release

AdChat DFW Posted On November 17, 2021

ReelFX releases their latest animation project, “Back to the Outback”, scheduled to release on Netflix December 10th. It’s about a group of Australia’s deadliest animals feeling sick and tired of being locked up in a reptile house for humans to stare at them like they’re monsters, so they all decide to make a break for it and escape the zoo to live freely in the Australian Outback. The leader of the group is a poisonous snake with a heart of gold named Maddie, who joins forces with a Thorny Devil lizard named Zoe, a hairy spider named Frank, and a sensitive scorpion named Nigel. All seem to go according to plan, until an adorable yet annoying Koala named Pretty Boy insists on tagging along. The animals do their best to escape to the Outback, all the while the zookeeper Chaz and his mini-me are hot on the trail.

“Back to the Outback” boasts a pretty impressive voice cast featuring Isla Fisher, Tim Minchin, Eric Bana, Guy Pearce, Miranda Tapsell, Angus Imrie, Keith Urban, Jacki Weaver, Rachel House, Celeste Barber, and Wayne Knight.

Daniela Mazzucato produces, and Weed Road Pictures’ Akiva Goldsman and Greg Lessans, who developed the story with Cripps, are executive producers.

Music will come from Rupert Gregson-Williams (Aquaman) and songs will be by Tim Minchin (Broadway’s Matilda). Animation and imagery will come from ReelFX.

Said director Knight: “I have always been touched by stories of hidden beauty. Maddie is both uniquely beauty and beast, and to get to present that message in comedy is the icing on the cake.”

Added writer-director Harry Cripps: “Growing up in Australia, I spent a lot of time in the Blue Mountains which has many different types of snakes and spiders, and I always preferred them to the cute cuddly animals, so it’s such a treat to make a film where the heroes are these poisonous but beautiful little creatures. This film is a love letter to Australia’s incredibly diverse and unique wildlife.”

Animation  / Production

ATK PLN Creates Fun Video for Claritin® | “The Outsideologist Project” Encourages Children To Spend Time Outdoors

ATK PLN Posted On May 13, 2021

Claritin®, the #1 doctor recommended allergy OTC brand, announced the launch of The Outsideologist Project, a new, multi-year initiative aimed at encouraging children to spend more time outdoors. A new survey commissioned by the brand found that 57 percent of parents admit while they encourage their kids to play outside frequently, half (49 percent) report that their kids find the outdoors boring. To get kids excited about the outdoors, The Outsideologist Project will arm parents with resources and inspiration, including a series of expert-guided activities curated by the project’s Advisory Board, made up of experts in the fields of plants, animals, weather, space and nature photography. Also joining the brand in its mission is multi-Platinum entertainer, outdoor enthusiast and parent of three, new Claritin® spokesperson Thomas Rhett.

Dallas-based ATK PLN created the fun video that animated the process that kids go through to go from inside-the-house-boredom to using their imaginations.  Starting with a tree that knocks on the window showing kids playing video games and it proceeds to entice the kids outdoors with multiple activities to do. Fun nature facts are learned along the way and the two minute video ends with the Claritin CTA to get more kids outside.

“Whether we’re on the lake, out for a hike or meeting up with friends, my wife Lauren and I prioritize spending time outdoors together with our three daughters,” said Thomas Rhett. “Time outside is critical for our health and wellbeing, and I look forward to helping other families foster a deeper appreciation for the outdoors.”

Though the wellness benefits of time outdoors are plenty, the new Claritin® survey¹ of parents of children aged 5 to 13 revealed that parents think their child could only keep themselves occupied with unstructured play outside for 32 minutes before boredom sets in. According to respondents, this could be in part due to a lack of imagination and increased access to technology. In fact, one in two parents worry their kids don’t have the same level of imagination that they did in their own youth, and 70 percent say if they had the same level of technology their kids have today, they would have spent less time outdoors than they did.

To kindle the same spark their parents felt when enjoying time outdoors, The Outsideologist Project will inspire families to #GetOutside by giving them access to engaging and educational tips and activities. Developed by The Outsideologist Project’s Advisory Board, the expert-guided curriculum will be accessible on Instagram (@OutsideologistProject) and Facebook.com/OutsideologistProject. Each member of the Advisory Board will also host an interactive livestream on Instagram (@OutsideologistProject), with dates and times to be announced on the platform. 

• ‘Plants’ hosted by author and environmental scientist, Summer Rayne Oakes (@homesteadbrooklyn)
• ‘Weather’ hosted by Tevin Wooten (@tevinwooten), Emmy-Award winning weather reporter and Certified Broadcast Meteorologist for The Weather Channel
• ‘Space’ hosted by Emily Calandrelli (@thespacegal), Emmy-nominated host and executive producer of “Xploration Outer Space,” and host and co-Executive Producer of “Emily’s Wonder Lab”
• ‘Animals’ hosted by Jawnie Payne (@zookeeperjawnie), a Nashville-based zookeeper
• ‘Nature Photography’ hosted by wildlife photographer Joel Sartore (@joelsartore)

Each livestream will be available for on-demand viewing on both Instagram and Facebook following its initial airing.

“Our survey revealed that kids are happy after playing outside, but the challenge parents face is having the tools to motivate their kids to get outdoors for play time and keep them engaged,” said Catherine Vennat, a spokesperson for Claritin®. “That is why Claritin® launched The Outsideologist Project – to help families across the country instill in their kids a lifelong love of the outdoors and better everyday health.”

For additional information about The Outsideologist Project or Claritin®, visit www.Claritin.com and our social channels. Families can also check out the official Outsideologist Project music video on YouTube for more outdoor inspiration.

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

About Thomas Rhett
With a centered focus and renewed clarity, 8x ACM Award winner and 2020 “Entertainer of the Year,” Thomas Rhett began teasing songs as they were written on social media over the past year, receiving a frenzy of positive feedback from fans. With that, his upcoming fifth studio double album COUNTRY AGAIN: SIDE A (April 30, The Valory Music Co.) began to take shape. Lead single “What’s Your Country Song” marks Thomas Rhett’s 17th career No. One single and 11^th consecutive No. One – the longest active streak in the format. As “few singers have played a larger role in defining the sound of country music over the past half-dozen years” (Rolling Stone), Thomas Rhett’s four previous studio albums have spawned nearly 10 BILLION total career streams while he’s received two CMA Triple Play awards for penning three No. One songs within a 12-month period, adding to his collection of trophies from the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music, Billboard Music Awards, CMT Music Awards and more. “At the top of his musical game” (Winnipeg Free Press), the in-demand superstar will mark his return to the road on his THE CENTER POINT ROAD TOUR beginning in August. For more information, visit www.thomasrhett.com. 

Animation  / Production

charlieuniformtango Uses Character Animation Integrated Into Live Action for Gas South

charlieuniformtango Posted On January 12, 2021

The charlieuniformtango FX/CG team did the character animation integrated into live action to create one :30 and two :15’s for The Richards Group client Gas South. The campaign’s fun spots bring “Mr. Meter” to life to introduce Gas South’s simple, no deposit, OnePrice plan™ with the tag line “The Difference is Good™.”

Starting with an original character concept from the agency, tango used Photoshop to fully design all aspects of the two animated meter characters, as well as any props. After looking at a number of actual gas meters and other pipe fittings and appliances for bits and parts that could be used and compiling them in Photoshop to try out different combinations of items tango created Mr. Meter and the other older model meter featured.

Now to make the meters move and express themselves. For Mr. Meter specifically, tango wanted to have a character that moved as though it was truly made out of real-world pipe fittings. Because of this, great care was taken to make sure the joints and limbs were built in a way that would look natural when animated. Different types of metal were referenced to make Mr. Meter look not too clean, but clean enough to be at the breakfast table, eyes need to look metallic but real. The tango creative team brought the digital puppets to life within three weeks.

On set, specific 360-degree cameras were used to capture a reference of real-world lighting for every shot (HDRI). Stand in character cutouts were used to mimic how the placement of the CG characters would interfere and interact with the lighting of other items on set. Shadows and reflections to anything the characters interacted with such as the table and teapot were added. This scale model, along with accurately matching the placement and focal length of the onset cameras was critical to matching the live action footage.

Compositing the final product is where all the pieces finally get fitted together. In this stage the tango team took the final renders in the form of several layers and combined them with the graded footage. The table was layered over the CG characters and then the characters’ reflections and shadows were put on top of the live action objects. The team worked very closely with Shane and The Richards Group team throughout this step to polish off every aspect of the combined parts and turn it into the final product magically bringing Mr. Meter and old style meter to life delivering a compelling and entertaining message for Gas South.

Credits:
GAS SOUTH / THE RICHARDS GROUP
Jeremy Bartel – Director
Meredith Machial – Executive Producer
Michael Wagner – Senior Producer
Editor – Dean Pelton
Edit Assist – Matt Pittman
Audio Engineer – Jake Kluge
Color – Filmworkers – Matt McClain
Online/VFX – Allen Robbins
3D – Connor Adams/Julia Bacak
CD/Writer: Mike Bales
CD/Art Director: Shane Altman
Art Director: Gaelle Gachelin
Broadcast Producer: Bridget Fontenot
Brand Management/Principal: Trent Walters
Brand Management: Amy Rodgers
Business Manager: Sara Sax
Animators: Ricardo Orellana/Glen Victor/W. Scott Simmons/Nick Johnnides

About charlieuniformtango
Founded in 1995 by Lola Lott, principal/CEO, and Jack Waldrip, senior editor, the company has become an industry leader. charlieuniformtango serves as a single source production solution. The company directs, produces, shoots, edits, scores, mixes, animates, designs, and provides color services, FX, and finishing for commercials, short films, documentaries, music videos, and digital content for clients worldwide. Headquarters in Dallas, Texas with a full-service studio in Austin. charlieuniformtango.com