Watch This: Dear Alice
All animation studios would probably like nothing more than to create their own original work all the time. But the reality is, to pay the bills the majority of them take on commission works such as advertising, music video and information films. But just because something is for a commercial, that does not mean that it has to be totally without artistic merit. The talented folk in the animation industry put in their all and often produce excellent work in this field that has value way beyond its function as an ad. We have often featured such commissioned works on this very website.
London based independent studio The Line have produced lots of wonderful work for clients around the world, including two music videos for Gorillaz and Porter Robinson and promos for League Of Legends, NASA and TBS, as well as several in-house productions.
They were recently hired by American Greek Yoghurt brand Chobani to make the rather wonderful Dear Alice. The film depicts an idealised version of the future of farming, showing people living a peaceful rural life (with the odd robot or other bit of futuristic technology).
The animation is gorgeous, apparently taking its inspiration for Hayao Miyazaki's works, particularly Castle In The Sky, even though the art is not anime styled. The Miyazaki connection is rather apt as in a major coup for the studio, Dear Alice features new music written by Miyazaki's got-to composer, the legendary Joe Hisaishi. So make sure you watch with the sound turned up!
The Line discussed the inspiration for the film- "what if we created a future for ourselves that was full of optimism and positivity? This was the starting point for our new animated piece for Chobani. Dear Alice is a love letter from a grandmother to a granddaughter and an optimistic vision of the future of farming. It’s a nostalgic look towards a new era of agriculture, with beautifully crafted backgrounds, delicate animation and a completely unique score by long-time Ghibli composer (and absolute legend) Joe Hisaishi. " Adding, "Yeah, we can’t believe this happened either."
"We worked closely with Chobani to realise their vision of a world worth fighting for. It’s not a perfect utopia, but a version of a future we can all reach if we just decide to put in the work. We love the aspiration in Chobani’s vision of the future and hope it will sow the seeds of optimism and feed our imagination for what the future could be. It’s a vision we can totally get behind. We couldn’t be more happy to be part of this campaign."
Dear Alice was directed by Bjørn-Erik Aschim. You can see more of The Line's work on the studio's website.
