Protect who
matters most
We partnered with Voke Studios and Greenlight Productions to produce a series of animated music videos for the Connecticut Department of Health with the goal of raising vaccine awareness for kids and their grown ups.
With a cast of colorful characters, we produced four videos that take kids on unique journeys to discover the history and the science behind vaccines.
Creative Direction: Gavin Buckland
Design: Kenzi Quigg and Cody Renfro
Animation: Gabriel Dalmaso
Score: Jonny Mendez
Sound Design: Ryan Priby
01. Life Before Vaccines
For the first video in the series, we travel back in time with our guide, Tock the Clock, to discover what life was like before vaccines. Along the way, we get a look at how vaccines were developed and tested by our trusty team of scientists.
Tock takes us back in time, but runs into three adversaries — the measles, polio, and whooping cough germs.
Designing for a young audience allowed us to embrace a more whimsical visual style. When developing the characters we leaned into wonky proportions, exaggerated features, and bright colors to create a cast of expressive characters. We also tucked in a small storytelling detail we love: the present-day doctor is descended from the doctor our characters meet in the past, hinted at by a framed family photo in her office.
02. Questions & Answers
The second video explores some of the questions parents may have about vaccinating their kids. We journey inside a baby's immune system (think Magic School Bus), where we meet Lil' B and his crew of immune cells. They show how vaccines safely teach the immune system to recognize germs while it’s still young.
To go with the rap song, we embraced an urban-inspired visual style. The character designs feature floaty heads and hands, creating a playful and expressive style of movement. To reinforce the story, we designed "baby" versions of the immune cells, illustrating how vaccines help train the immune system while it's still young—a visual metaphor that made a complex idea easy for kids to understand.
03. Safety and Approval
The third installment follows a mom and her son, Mateo, as they navigate the overwhelming flood of information surrounding vaccines. With a magical tiger as their guide, they're transported to a jungle journey on the Path to Protection, which reveals the many steps behind vaccine development that ensures they are safe.
The jungle became a visual metaphor for the vaccine development process, with each landmark representing a different stage of testing, review, and approval. Outfitted in adventure gear, our characters journey through the landscape.
04. How Vaccines Work
The final video uses the story of a young girl and a looming Snot Monster to explore how vaccines help prepare a child's growing immune system, turning fear into confidence.
We open on a gloomy world where germs lurk around every corner. Our main character nervously greets her sniffling friend, who's followed everywhere by a giant, looming Snot Bubble. One sneeze later, the mucus monster swoops in and engulfs her. Her worst nightmare!
The Snot Bubble drops her at the doctor's office where she gets her vaccine and dances her way out with a whole new outlook. She confidently squashes the germs that once towered over her.
