The award-winning animation studio releases the hounds, and their creative skills, for the fun social media campaign promoting a serious topic for dog owners.
As any dog owner knows, our beloved furry friends will eat anything, or will attempt to anyway. This prompted FCB Health NY to partner with Calabash Animation to create the new social media campaign entitled “Dogs Eat Everything,” for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). The PSA humorously illustrates the many ways dogs can harm themselves by literally eating anything, from the gross to the truly dangerous, like grapes or chocolate, and encourages people to pet-proof their homes. You can watch the animated spot on the “Dogs Eat Everything” website, social media pages, and right here!
Check out the animated spot:
The clip centers on a country-rock jingle with the lyrics, “Dogs eat anything, dogs eat everything, dogs eat crazy things!” A montage, courtesy of Calabash, shows wacky animated dogs eating everything from wedding rings and rotten food to live electrical wires and hilariously repulsive items.
Sean Henry, Calabash Executive Producer said, “FCB came to us with this great idea and a really funny song, which we all connected with as dog owners ourselves. They had some wonderful characters and gags already sketched out, but also gave us the opportunity to contribute our own dog designs and crazy scenarios. Of first importance, the agency needed to develop these dogs as characters and expand their use beyond the TV spot and into social, print, mobile, etc. Character design is in Calabash’s DNA, and we welcomed the opportunity to work closely with the creative team to give these characters life and personality that could extend their presence beyond this singular campaign.”
Wayne Brejcha, Creative Director, added, “One guiding light for this was the classic Schoolhouse Rock cartoon series of the 1970s. Like those, Dogs Eat featured a catchy song married to an animation style that’s all about what’s funny and memorable and will be read in very short amounts of time. Whimsical stuff can dispense with more complex elements of cinematic animation like fussy draftsmanship making use of 3-point perspective, or the exacting physics of motion. You just don’t need all that to show a lineup of dogs eating things they shouldn’t.”
Source: Calabash
Whitney is a freelance writer focusing on VFX-driven fantasy film & TV as well as preschool animation.
