From the release:
Psyop is excited to welcome long-time animation partner and creative collaborator, Sun Creature to our Blacklist roster.
Launched five years ago by audience demand on a Kickstarter for one of their first original entertainment properties “The Reward: Tales of Alethrion,” Sun Creature’s studio has quickly established a reputation and a cult following for their beautifully animated, narratively driven films. The six creative partners, all graduates from the most prestigious animation schools around the world, bring a fresh perspective to the craft.
The result: an eclectic, young studio with the collective expertise of a seasoned veteran who can flexibly take on work from their own original feature films to episodic content for Cartoon Network to commercial campaigns for brands like Riot Games, Coca-Cola, and Travel Oregon.
“Visual storytelling is a part of the Psyop DNA. We are always pushing to blur the lines between advertising and entertainment by creating iconic content with emotional impact. Sun Creature adds a new, important voice and visual language to the stories we tell,” says Neysa Horsburgh, MD at Psyop. “We are philosophically and creatively aligned to create work that not only cuts through the noise but also has a relevant place in pop culture.”
The story behind the name Sun Creature comes from a group word association game the team played which speaks as much to the collaborative nature so core to the studio’s identity as it does to its affinity for whimsical storytelling. A studio that’s built itself on meticulously, hand-crafted 2D in an age of quick, vector graphics, their logo – an interconnected circle of lines with hidden images that reveals itself to those who take the time to examine closer – is just another example of what drives them.
Guillaume Dousse, Partner/Director at Sun Creature explains, “Traditional animation is an incredibly rich and compelling medium to tell stories across genres. The elegance and details in the craft bring scenes and characters to life, unlocking people’s imaginations in powerful and emotive ways. It always requires a high level of artistic collaboration where each artist influences not only one another but the final output. In the end, a finished film contains the visual fingerprints of every artist who touched it along the way.”
On Travel Oregon, Sun Creature worked closely with Psyop directors Todd & Kylie, assembling a team that spanned four continents – pairing traditional painters with concept artists. With scenes that took upwards of 200 hours, the end result were films that rocked not only the advertising industry but the entire tourism category.
“What really impressed us working with Sun Creature over the years is how thoughtful they are during each step of the process,” expands Neysa “Between juggling multiple time zones, teams up to 40 artists, demanding timelines and clients – our own directors included…they never missed a single deadline or provided any work that did not absolutely blow us away.”
“It started with a film we created for Coke called Man and Dog where Sun Creature helped us by exploring different ways we could frame our scenes and capture the action. My partner Todd and I both felt they demonstrated a great instinct and a deep sensibility for visual storytelling,” remembers Director/Partner Kylie Matiluck, “For our Coke Superbowl spot, Sun Creature brought together an amazing team of global artists who poured their heart and soul into the film…all under a formidable timeline. Our Travel Oregon collaboration took things to a whole other breathtaking level.
Sun Creature has always risen to the challenge with great passion. They truly care about the craft of storytelling and animation. I can’t express how glad I am to have them join our Psyop family and I look forward to them to demonstrating more of their brilliance.”
