Final Frontier and director BlinkMyBrain (aka Ariel Costa) have crafted a wildly eclectic new collage animation for BMW’s bilibili channel.

Created with agency Fractalist, the high-energy 90-second piece launches the ‘Bì’, a limited-edition physical token gifted to loyal participants of BMW’s bilibili channel.

Visualised in a smorgasbord of styles, the madcap chronicle takes us on a journey through the evolution of coins, from their origins, through their rise and fall, and right up to their modern-day versatility, culminating in the sure-to-be-sought after Bì.

To support Costa, Final Frontier assembled a bespoke team of specialised designers and animators.

Outlining his creative vision, the director says, “We wanted to create a piece that would keep the audience engaged for the full duration. With that in mind, we felt we needed to constantly surprise the viewers, so I came up with a bold and risky idea to make every single shot a unique story with a unique visual. Thankfully the agency and client were onboard to make something special and different, and they gave us their full trust.

The main challenge was definitely to create a unique visual for each shot, but we had the support of an amazing team of artists who were all striving with the same energy to create something great. 

We also needed to ensure the artists, who were based in the western side of the world, were familiar with the specific and various aspects of Chinese culture, past and present, that we were talking about.  For that we had the incredible support of very talented producers over in China.  Their insights and research, combined with the creativity of the artists, helped us to achieve a universal language and stay true to the subject.

I’m especially pleased with how we were able to create so many different styles yet keep a consistent conversation with the audience. I am really proud of everyone involved in this piece.”

Final Frontier also created the original launch film for BMW’s bilibili channel back in 2020. The three-minute piece, titled ‘History of Horsepower’, transported viewers back through the BMW brand history, and served as the standard bearer for the brand’s unexpected new visual approach. It has so far picked up prizes at New York Festivals, Shots Asia, among others.