‘Pocahontas’, Studio Ghibli and ‘Arcane’: The Work That Made Jagoda Klaczyńska

Jagoda Klaczyńska is an illustrator and art director at BluBlu Studios.She graduated from the Fine Arts High School in Warsaw and the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology. She has worked at BluBlu Studios almost since its founding, creating projects for the Oscars Academy, The New York Times, WSJ, Disney, WWF, Universal Music Group, EMMAR, and many others.

Her work is defined by attention to detail, bold contrast, visual harmony, and colour. She is also a fan of mountain hiking, reading, and growing tomatoes on her balcony.

LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…

Jagoda> ‘Colors of the Wind’ from ‘Pocahontas’. I must have been around six or seven when I first saw it. Every year as a kid, I would spend a month camping in the forest with my parents. My brother, friends and I would run through the trees, swim in the lake, pick wild strawberries, watch animals, fish with sticks and build shelters.

That music video reminds me of the joy and freedom I felt being surrounded by nature. And it also taught me that we live in harmony with it.

LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…

Jagoda> There wasn’t one specific title that made me go, “Yes, this is what I want to do.” I fell in love with animation as a child watching Disney, then later anime completely swept me away. I was obsessed with ‘Dragon Ball’, ‘Sailor Moon’, ‘Slayers’.

When I went to an art high school, and later to an art academy, I kind of left that fascination behind for a while.

It came back when I had to choose between graphic design and animation as my specialisation. I followed my heart. I had no real experience in animation – it seemed like black magic to me – but I thought, I’ll figure it out. And I did. I graduated with a degree in animation, though my career leaned more into illustration and design.

Then, about ten years ago, I applied almost on a whim for an illustrator position at a brand new animation studio. And… here I am. Life has a way of surprising us, doesn’t it?

LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting…

Jagoda> I usually don’t go back to the same films or books – there’s just so much amazing new stuff being made that I prefer to explore something fresh that might surprise or move me.

But there’s one category I keep returning to: Studio Ghibli films. Especially the ones about everyday life like ‘From Up on Poppy Hill’ or ‘Whisper of the Heart’. I revisit them when I feel overwhelmed or burnt out. I call them my ‘warm blanket’.

I love how the artists capture atmosphere, and how beautifully detailed the backgrounds are.

Scenes of cooking or eating make me want to jump in and sit at the table with them. That’s magic I never get tired of.

LBB> My first professional project…

Jagoda> At first I was doing illustrations for games and apps for kids. But once I started working at BluBlu Studios, I got the chance to work with global agencies and brands.

My very first project was an ad for a detergent made for sports clothes. It had this comic-style look, and I had to draw a character that represented bacteria growing in unwashed clothes. The problem was… I made it kind of cute. Like, too cute. Hopefully the detergent still sold well.

LBB> The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…

Jagoda> I can’t stand those mass-produced kids’ videos on YouTube. I feel like they offer nothing except sensory overload. They’re just flashy, fast-cut visuals with loud sounds and no real substance – and sometimes even subtle consumerist messaging.

I know I sound like a boomer, but I miss the days of watching ‘The Animals of Farthing Wood’, ‘The Moomins’, or old Polish and Czech animations like ‘Bolek and Lolek’ or ‘The Little Mole’ on VHS.

LBB> The piece of work that still makes me jealous

Jagoda> Everything Studio Ghibli does. I wish I could capture that kind of magic in my work – the way they draw and animate emotions and atmosphere is simply unmatched.

Also, Fortiche and their ‘Arcane’ series – they’re the animation masters of our generation. Their latest music video for ‘Ma Meilleure Ennemie’ is a piece of art. Minimalist, yet more emotionally powerful than many full-length films. They’re geniuses when it comes to detail, symbolism, and stirring up real emotion.

LBB> The creative project that changed my career…

Jagoda> ‘An Elephant & Ants’ for Macmillan Publishers. At BluBlu Studios, we created a series of educational animations for kids learning English.

It was the first project where I was responsible for creating the backgrounds, and I had complete creative freedom. I went all in, and that’s when people noticed: “She’s the background person.”

Since then, years have passed, and I’ve expanded my skills in lots of styles, but that project gave me the chance to shine – and I ran with it.

LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…

Jagoda> I have a huge soft spot for the music video we made for Jay and The Americans – ‘Come a Little Bit Closer.’

The song was already tied in my mind with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, so it was a challenge to approach it with a fresh perspective. But we did it – and I had so much fun creating the illustrations.

I’m especially proud of the backgrounds I drew. I played around with perspective in a way I hadn’t done before. I had to let go of all the “rules” – vanishing points, horizon lines – and just… experiment. That kind of freedom isn’t something every project allows. It was pure joy.

LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…

Jagoda> Years ago, we worked on a project that was supposed to be a real alternative to Tinder. Like, it was going to connect people for life.

The animation was super long – we made 120 illustrations, when normally we do about 30 – 40. We had our main couple, everything was progressing smoothly, tons of client feedback, all good.

Then, around illustration 90, the client suddenly loved the baker character in one background scene and decided – he’s the new male lead.

So we had to go back and redraw him in every scene.

The app didn’t take off in the end. Maybe the baker wasn’t ‘the one’ after all.

LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…

Jagoda> It was definitely ‘Porcelain War’, nominated for an Oscar in 2025 in the Best Documentary Feature category. It’s not just a war documentary – it's above all a film about artists. Despite the war, they never give up on their passion and love for art.

I had the honour of digitally recreating the style of Anya – an artist who paints the world around her on porcelain figurines. Together with other illustrators and amazing animators, we brought Anya’s unique art to life on screen. It was incredibly rewarding.