Keys to the Future is a poem by Connor Allen. We were asked by The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Wales, & Literature Wales (Llen Cymru) to bring this poem to life in the form of a short animation.
The mission
The poem, 'Keys to the Future', was inspired by a series of poetry workshops on the effects of technology on children's mental health.
We were trusted in creating an animation that pairs well with the tone Connor's poem. As this project is directed towards a young audience it was important to let that dictate the art style and pacing of the final piece.
The illustrated characters and backgrounds are intentially a little more 'rough around the edges' to create a more personal feeling, rather than it looking particularly smooth or corporate, and ultimately a story that a child could resonate with.
Conclusion?
The carefully developed art style boasts a lot of colour and different textures to build up an almost dream-like environment. One that helps bring light to the core themes of the poem without becoming a distraction from the key messages Connor is conveying.
During our storyboarding process we spent a bunch of time deciding on how the scenes could fit together and transition smoothly, using the lines of the poem as prompts for the visuals.
The final animation is a combination of clear storytelling and more lateral metaphoric elements that illustrate the heights of a child's imagination. We truly hope it helps to inspire young people and contributes to a conversation about how we can all create a better, more exciting world for ourselves.