WATCH: Blinkink’s Jack Brown directs animated campaign ‘Save Me’ for RSPCA
Skwigly
Blinkink director Jack Brown directs the latest campaign, Save Me, for animal rights charity RSPCA. Created in collaboration with Arthur London, the 30-second film was inspired by the true story of the rescued hound, ‘Hank’. Opening with a shot of an abandoned dog chained up on the floor of a decrepit room, it’s clear this animal has been neglected for a long time. As he cowers in fear from shadowy monsters, an RSCPA volunteer enters, and the building walls fall away, signifying the hope for Hank’s new future now under the charity’s care.
The film was drawn by hand and animated in traditional 2D by Jack and his team of 12 animators, partly inspired by classic characters in beloved old-school Disney films, and urges people to donate to the charity. According to 2023 Wilberforce data, the RSPCA receives a report of animal cruelty every five minutes. Stories like this are far from a rarity, and it’s only through the heroic efforts of these charities and their volunteers that animals like Hank can find a way out.
Working with RSPCA to make their first fully animated video was a dream come true. It was genuinely a bit tough to illustrate poor Hank’s bleak scenario, but I hope it pulls on a few heartstrings out there and gets people to donate to an amazing cause.
My aim was to make something that feels like it’s straight out of a traditionally animated feature. Much like the old-school classics, I wanted to take the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster. It’s always a challenge to convey any sort of emotion in something only 30 seconds long, but hopefully, it only takes a few seconds of seeing Hanks’ big sad eyes to make any viewer crumble (in a good way).
While the animation world starts getting weird with AI-generated morphing nightmares, it’s a pleasure to make something hand-drawn with love and passion and a bunch of super talented humans. Keep it real!
-Jack Brown (Director, Save Me)