Case study - Kingdom of hearts x DEB Promo
2D Animator, Editor and Art Director
Project Overview:
Disney Emoji Blitz partnered with Kingdom Hearts to create an engaging, fast-paced promo that would:
Excite fans of both franchises with iconic characters and visuals.
Drive engagement and downloads for the event.
Maintain brand consistency while delivering a fresh, energetic style.
The challenge was to seamlessly blend Kingdom Hearts’ signature aesthetic with the playful, colorful world of Disney Emoji Blitz in a short, impactful video.
Kingdom of Hearts Promo
Project Goals:
Capture the magic of Kingdom Hearts within the Disney Emoji Blitz universe.
Showcase event-exclusive emojis in an engaging way.
Create high-energy motion design that aligns with both brands.
Key Challenges:
Merging two distinct visual styles—blending Kingdom Hearts’ darker fantasy tones with the playful, lighthearted Emoji Blitz look.
Maximizing impact in a short duration—ensuring every second felt engaging.
Integrating UI elements smoothly while keeping the action dynamic.
Pre-production:
Scriptwriting: Script was provided but modified during the storyboarding stage.
Storyboarding: Created detailed visual sketches to map out the video’s structure, including key moments such as Sarah’s challenges, Copilot’s interface, and data visualizations.
Animatics: Produced a low-fidelity animated sequence using the storyboards to establish timing, pacing, and transitions before final animation.
Production Process
Concept:
Create a relatable character, "Sarah," to humanize the narrative and illustrate Copilot’s impact.
Visual Style:
Built sleek UI mockups, dynamic charts, and bold typography to highlight Copilot’s functionality.
3D Art Direction
Directed an awesome 3D artists, Ryan Hoog to ensure the visuals aligned with the intended narrative and style.
Directed the layout, composition, and overall feel of 3D elements, including Copilot's interface and product interactions.
Focused on lighting, depth, and texture to create polished and engaging 3D scenes.
2D Animation
Motion Graphics: Designed dynamic visual elements, including graph animations, flowing lines to represent data connections, and emphasis effects on key moments (e.g., “Sarah synthesizes insights”).
Character Integration: Animated Sarah’s interactions with Copilot to create a fluid connection between the character’s actions and the app’s features.
Scene Transitions: Employed smooth wipes, fades, and object-driven transitions to maintain visual cohesion.
Tools Used: Primarily Adobe After Effects for motion design, with Illustrator for vector graphics and Photoshop for additional assets.
Team Members:
Creative Direction/2d Animator/Editor: Michelle Garcia
Producer: Dez Davis
3d Animator/Designer: Ryan Hoog
Scriptwriting: Microsoft’s Content Team
Client: Ghost atomic productions - Microsoft