For our third chapter in the animated storybook of socially responsible ASN Bank, we took viewers under the sea to learn about the impact of plastic.

The creative inspiration for the animation was a viral wildlife photo from Jon Hofman showing a little seahorse attached to a cotton swab. How did they meet? And what came next? Our job was to dream up the back-story.

Shot on a miniature set made from mostly biodegradable materials and foraged plastic, we later added animation elements in 3D to achieve the plush style of ASN Bank, in which characters look like they’re crafted from fabric.

Transforming a limbless seahorse into an expressive character also meant we had to focus on perfecting very subtle movements of eyes and fins to get across the loneliness, hope, despair and ultimately joy of this 35-second love story.