The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and creative agency Oberland approached Hornet to create a 45-second spot detailing how LLS can help people come to terms with the earth-shattering news of a cancer diagnosis. Hornet's own Natalie Labarre directed the spot. In her words, it was intended to be “a visual representation of what it’s like to have your life fall apart.” So, she made it literally fall apart with an unraveling of structures around the characters, a blurry focus, and a swirl of levitating objects. The message is that once LLS comes into the picture, these characters feel grounded again. Ultimately, the film is a heartfelt, soothing, beautifully-illustrated 2D animation that has a heavy, yet hopeful, tone.
The elegant artwork and fluidity of the animation is what makes the spot so powerful. The visuals are strong, the design is delicate. Most of the animation is done digitally with a small amount of hand-drawn textures to add a hand-made warmth. The overall effect is one of evocative clarity. Not only is the LLS message delivered attractively; it's delivered effectively, too.
WORK WE BELIEVE IN
LLS is the largest nonprofit dedicated to fighting blood cancers. Since 1949, they’ve invested nearly $1.3 billion in groundbreaking research and also provided patient support to thousands of people. When they came to Hornet to help spread awareness about their cancer support services, it was a no-brainer that we would help. Cancer is never an easy subject to cover. But Natalie’s work brings with it a stoic, hopeful composure and warm sensibility that confronts the world-shaking difficulty of a cancer diagnosis with a determined air of optimistic fight—which is completely in line with the LLS mission and motto: "Beating Cancer Is in Our Blood."