Beconase / Guardian Labs - Festival Sneezon

Kong Animation Studio Launches "Festival Sneezon" – Looking at Hay Fever Solutions for Festival-Goers

Traditional Animation Techniques Bring Nasal Spray Education to Life in our latest Guardian Labs Partnership

LONDON, UK – Kong Animation Studio announced the release of "Festival Sneezon," an animated short film exploring effective nasal spray treatments for hay fever sufferers during festival season. Designed and animated by Hannah O'Brien, created in partnership with Guardian Labs and sponsored by Beconase, the animation showcases a hand-drawn approach to health education through stylized storytelling. A Kong Animation Studio project delivered from script to screen

Animation for Health Education

‘Festival Sneezon’ utilizes traditional hand-drawn animation techniques to create an engaging and informative piece that resonates with festival-goers who struggle with seasonal allergies. The animated film combines Kong Animation Studio's passion for artistic style with practical health information, making complex medical concepts accessible and memorable.

"We're were thrilled to partner with Guardian Labs on another sponsored content film," said Emma Burch for Kong Animation Studio.

Hannah said of the project – “This was such a fun packed project to design and animate! I loved the concept - it felt so playful to come up with ways to show a character’s frustration with hay fever when they’re just trying to have the best time at a festival. Drawing all the pollen and flowers was right up my street as I like to work with vibrant colour and hand made textures.”

Hannah goes on to describe the challenges and inspiration behind the ideas – “Working with the Beconase brand colours initially felt challenging, but actually I usually work with lots of blues and oranges, so with a few added pops of colour the style frames really came together. I wanted to stay within the concept that The Guardian had proposed to us and reference a 60’s style of drawing, and so referenced 60’s music festival posters which had these vibrant colours over gradients - I’m really pleased with the outcome!”

Addressing Real-World Health Challenges

The animation specifically targets hay fever sufferers who face particular challenges during outdoor festival seasons, when high pollen counts can significantly impact enjoyment of music and cultural events. By exploring the effectiveness of nasal spray treatments through animation, "Festival Sneezon" provides valuable information in an entertaining and shareable format.

The project represents Guardian Labs' commitment to creating meaningful branded content that serves both commercial and educational purposes. The collaboration with Beconase ensures the animation provides accurate, research-backed information about nasal spray effectiveness for seasonal allergy relief.

Traditional Animation in Modern Health Communication

Hannah’s work focuses on vibrant colours combined with a hand made feel through the use of mark making and textures. Her work pulls the viewer in, through inviting and fun imagery, taking them through her world of storytelling.

Hannah’s hand-crafted approach to “Festival Sneezon” creates a distinctive visual style that enhances viewer engagement while delivering important health messaging about hay fever management during festival season.

The film’s producer Emma Burch said - “We were really pleased when Guardian Labs selected Hannah’s work out of the artists we put forward. Her work brings a unique warmth and authenticity to the subject that clinical live action often struggles to achieve.”

Charlie Jones of Guardian Labs said – “This was my second film working with Kong and, as I have come to expect from them, they smashed this one out of the park! We started with a seed of an idea of how we could make hayfever treatment sexy in a summer festival kind of way and Emma, Harriet & Hannah understood perfectly the psychedelic quality we wanted to achieve with this animation. 

The team took to developing and actualising a narrative for this film with flexibility, patience and beautiful visuals I have come to expect of Kong, exceeding my expectations of how fun and visually captivating we could make this film - well done to the team at Kong for creating something so 'groovy'!”

Kong Animation Studio works with a wide variety of talented designers, directors, animators, voice artists and sound designers. The studio’s portfolio contains a broad mix of animation techniques and compelling storytelling, demonstrating how classic techniques can effectively communicate modern health challenges and solutions.