A hand-animated climate campaign

ToonBoom Harmony, AfterEffects  |  2022  |  Penn Animation as Research Lab

I animated a video to make a controversial Dutch flood adaptation strategy easier to understand, informed by Dutch water policy experts and a Netherlands site visit.  This is one of 4 videos I’ve made with the Penn Animation as Research Lab, which total 8 minutes of my own animation in addition to research and storyboarding.

Great Garuda animated connection between Indonesian island and their national symbol

Animated connection between Indonesian island and their national symbol.

Challenge

The Netherlands is a global leader in flood adaptation.  However, Meebewegen, a strategy involving nature-based flood barriers as opposed to industrial ones, remains controversial there.  Existing visuals explaining the situation were difficult to understand, so I identified a need for animation to visually clarify it and reduce public stigma.

Research

Among 10 interviews with water specialists, my team was inspired by Dutch illustrator Jeroen Helmer’s ecosystem drawings.  We framed our visual strategy around the harmony of biodiverse ecosystems as natural flood barriers.

Summer Oak natural hospitality illustration by Jeroen Helmer

‘Summer Oak’ natural hospitality illustration (Jeroen Helmer).

Storyboarding

I developed visual metaphors and edited my team’s work into an weekly animatic.  We iterated on feedback from the Lab’s professors and visiting experts.

Great Garuda storyboard

Animated connection between Indonesian island and their national symbol.

River highways storyboard

“River highways” animated concept.

Deliverables

In our final video, my team framed the main 3 flood strategies as being ‘at war with water’.

10 meters flood strategy animation

Engineer, designer, and politician characters.

For the nature-based strategy, we first acknowledged its negative public perception.

Meebewegen strategy animation

Public perception of meebewegen cartoon concept.

We then reframed the strategy as ‘working with water’ to promote the most sustainable option.

Trees flood strategy animation

Land-building peat activated by rising water table.

Results

The lab’s videos have reached a combined 35k viewers, were shown at COP28 (UN Climate Change Conference), and are contributing to the global conversation about coastal flood adaptation.  We’ve traveled to and covered the Netherlands, Indonesia, Bonaire, and St. Martin.