JUNETEENTH

Disney Branded Television asked us to create a :45 animation as part of their larger “Use Your Voice” campaign, with the subject of this particular video being Juneteenth. The purpose of this animation is to teach kids about the events that led up to the creation of this important holiday, and to encourage them to use their voices to learn more.

Juneteenth is a holiday about freedom and liberation, but it also has a tragic backstory that we needed to be sensitive towards considering Disney’s younger viewers. When designing for this animation, we wanted to make sure that the overall piece conveyed as much historical accuracy as possible, while still feeling young and modern throughout the illustrations, colors, and movements. We also made it a goal to include symbolic references to African American history throughout the animation, such as: the member of the HBCU marching band, and the Alabama State capitol, where MLK led the marches from Selma to Montgomery.

The resulting animation serves to honor and recognize the legacy of African Americans, and the impact of what Juneteenth meant for their community. Teaming up with designer Phoenix Owens for the illustration, we created a unique look that feels organic, approachable, and character focused. Using a muted, warm-toned color palette throughout, with pops of bright blue and rich greens, we were able to delicately convey the complex range of emotions associated with Juneteenth, adding subtle texture throughout to aid in the historical feel of the piece. Illustrations were created in Procreate, prepped in Adobe Illustrator, and we used Adobe After Effects for the animation and compositing.