LiveWell for LIFE

What did we do?

We were inspired by the campaign from the start, as the issues it covers are very close to our hearts here at Mind Orchard. We decided to create our film with a hand-drawn feel, using paper craft animation; we wanted the images and the message to really stand out for the viewer so, to raise our animation to another level, we also made it in low poly 3D, which created a unique graphic style. Once we had our vision in place, it was a matter of working fast, as time was tight – but we worked around the clock to get it just right.

The animation is narrated by the marvellous Alistair McGowan and in the first scene he is contemplating a meaty multi-layered sandwich, which – disappointingly for Alistair – turns out to be a metaphorical snack, as it contains a micro-world depicting environmental problems caused by food production and eating habits in Europe: for example, unsustainable consumption of meat products and careless creation of waste. The sandwich layers serve to highlight the depth of the problem and its effects.

A solution arrives in the form of the LiveWell Plate: a delicious meal of healthy and environmentally sustainable food which cleverly transforms into a harmonious vegetable micro-world: under a shiny lemon sun, in a landscape of bread mountains with hills made of rice and meat, we see a community of happy peas, beans and olives jumping excitedly between mushroom houses, carrot apartment blocks and broccoli trees (complete with tiny tree houses!), while pea-pod boats sail down a jus river.

The balanced meal in our animation is a creative and engaging illustration of LiveWell’s central idea: small, but achievable, changes to our diet – such as eating more vegetables and less meat – can make a big impact on the environment and our health.

The result 

In line with the LiveWell for LIFE campaign the animation not only highlights the current environmental and health issues caused by the present food chain supply, but also offers realistic long-term solutions that can be reached easily – and can be tailored to the culture of each country in the EU.

We set out to create graphics and strong images that combine to leave the viewer both well-informed about the issues and inspired to get involved. We were delighted with the outcome – as were WWF: our animation will be used as their sole visual communication tool throughout the three years of the LiveWell campaign.