Web Animation Watch: Music Video Special

The internet opened up new possibilities for animators. It has never been easier for animators to get their stuff out there for a potentially huge audience to see. The only problem is.. with such a huge amount of material out there, how are you supposed to know what's worth your precious time? That's where our regular Web Animation Watch comes in. We trawl the internet to bring you the best stuff out there, old and new.

Have you got something that you think we'd like to feature in a future edition? Drop us a line today!

This time around, we're dedicating this edition to the art of the animated music video!

Gorillaz: Saturnz Barz (Spirit House)

The undisputed kings of animated music videos are Gorillaz, who this year make their eagerly anticipated return with upcoming album Humanz. This video is more than just a music video though, it's more of a full-blown short film which sees the band arriving at a spooky house. Mixing their usual traditional 2D animation style with some curiously retro-looking CG, it's even available in 360  if you're all tooled up for VR. Typically excellent stuff.

King Reign: Santa Romeo

This music video for Toronto-based rapper King Reign (who sadly passed away in 2016) comes from the talented folks at Solis Animation. The video has a light-hearted feel and is stylistically reminiscent of old-school cartoons from the likes of Hanna-Barbera productions. The contrast of this child-like style with the romantic exploits of King Reign's animated alter-ego makes for a fun combination. The video is for the track Santa Romeo, which will be the first of several previously unreleased tracks due this year. (Contains some explicit lyrics)

POP ETC: Your Heart Is A Weapon 

It's no secret that we're big fans of the collective of talented web animators who make up Weebl's Stuff. Catchy, comedy music has always been a big part of their arsenal (as Mr Weebl himself, Jonti Picking is also a killer songwriter) but occasionally they also make music videos for other,"serious" musicians. 

Your Heart Is A Weapon features the adorable exploits of a trio of anthropomorphised hearts, that reminded us of the classic Blur Video, Coffee and TV.  The video is directed and edited by Mr Weebl, written by Sarah Darling and animated by Kreid. 

Studio Killers :Jenny  

Studio Killers are like the Euro-Pop equivalent of The Gorrilaz- a "virtual band" consisting of members Cherry, Goldie Foxx, and  DJ Dyna Mink. This animated video for their track Jenny boasts a very unusual but eye-catching visual style. It's matched with an equally unexpected storyline, which offers an original modern LGBT take on a classic fairy story. The video is playing in competition at this summer's Annecy Festival.