Mill+ Creates Beautiful Animation for Fireflies West Charity Ride

Mill+ is pleased to present “A Journey to Hope,” an original animated piece created for charity cycling group Fireflies West. The release of the promo film comes ahead of the Fireflies West’s annual ride down the California coastline in support of cancer research facility City of Hope.

 

The film illustrates the six-day ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles using a combination of 3D and cel animation. The concept, developed by Executive Creative Director Phil Crowe, VFX Supervisor Tara DeMarco and Mill+ designers Amy Graham and Kyle Moore, uses the riders’ physical journey as an analogy to reflect the struggle of those affected by cancer.

 

Crowe says, “‘A Journey to Hope’ provided an opportunity to support the Fireflies West whilst showcasing our talent in Mill+ and design. I set an open brief for the artists here in Los Angeles and had lots of brilliant ideas come in, from live action to 2D and 3D animation routes. What you see is the winning idea by Kyle and Amy, brought to life over several months of hard work with input from City of Hope and the Fireflies West riders themselves.”

 

Executive Producer Luke Colson says, “Words can’t express how proud we are with the final outcome of this film. The Fireflies West have been close to our hearts for a long time with many of our staff riding each year for an incredibly good, and often personal, cause.  With this film, we hope to generate more interest and further public knowledge of what has become an institution in the industry.”

 

Now in its ninth year running, the Fireflies West have raised over $1.2 million for City of Hope.