What is 7 minutes of animated perfection? Paperman.
This 2013 Oscar-winning short film was not only one of the most charming pieces of work that Disney has created in years, but it paved a foundation for a new wave of animation.
A wordless tale of romance between two strangers in mid-century New York City, the movie is a simple construct, supremely well-rendered, and in black-and-white. By marrying computer-generated visuals with hand-drawings, Disney mimicked 2D animation style with 3D technology in order to resurrect the magic of the old Disney films that the world grew up watching.
Paperman served as an inspiration for the creation of VPM’s short film, The Blue Volt: Service, Speed, & the VPM Way, for our 2015 summer campaign, #WhosYourHero.
“Since superhero-themed marketing initiatives are trending as of late, we wanted to create something that would separate our campaign from others,” said Ossian Mendoza, VPM’s Motion Graphics Designer. “Merging hand-drawings with computer-generated visuals is a very unique aesthetic that is different than many of the commercial animated short films you see today. It brings a nice balance of techniques used in both the new era of 3D animation and the traditional style of 2D films. ”
Not to mention, we love the fact that Paperman is set in New York City, created in a black and white aesthetic, and the main character is, well, a paper man. Clearly, this was a very fitting film for us as a printing company to be inspired by. See the 7 minutes of animated genius from Disney, below: