University of Phoenix: Tortoise and Hare
2024
We partnered with the University of Phoenix to reimagine the fable of the tortoise and the hare with a twist: in a world where speed is outlawed, what if going fast is the smart move?
For the anthem film, we fast-forward 100 years from the fateful race, creating a subtly dystopian setting where Harold the hare has a breakthrough business idea but no clear path forward. Teaming up with a thoughtful tortoise, the two enroll in University of Phoenix courses to learn, adapt, and prove that sometimes speed is the winning strategy.
Before we dove into building anything, we spent time dreaming, designing, and problem solving how the environment would look and how it would all fit together to tell the story. The following concept art frames capture not only layout but mood, lighting, and color for Tortoise town.
We got our hands dirty for this one, creating practical miniature sets for our fabled characters. We built a physical model of their small Pacific Northwest-inspired town, along with a miniature office with desk chairs, computers, and various props to solidify our characters in this world.
From crafting the details of props, to set decor, to graphics and screens, we designed every pixel of detail that could fit into these films. With nods to the original fable, we modernized our main characters' world to reflect today’s working world with touches of charm and nostalgia.
With the huge passage of time in our story, our characters Tori and Harold required multiple wardrobe changes for different times of day, seasons and occasions. In addition to the main cast, we populated the world with modern-day versions of woodland characters along with their century-old counterparts.
In an additional spot, we continued Tori's story as she leads a successful game design project and passes on her knowledge of a faster path to success.
BUCK
Creative Director
Robert Bisi
Executive Producer
Luisa Murray
Producer
David Guti Rosado
Dustin Leer
Elizabeth Abrams
Associate Creative Director
Casey McIntyre
Art Director
Dae-Han Yi
Eduardo Gooda
Mark Kulakoff
Max Vogel
Morgan Schweitzer
Production Coordinator
Cayleigh Latimer
Storyboard Artist
Max Forward
Will Rosado
Designer
Beatriz Mayumi
Dan Muangprasert
Felipe Hansen
Gunnar Pettersson
João Lavieri
Joe Dennis
Tuo Kan
Vince Aparo
Concept Artist
Chelsea Lee
Dae-Han Yi
Henry De Leon
Marcus Collins
Stan Chan
2D Animation Lead
Anton Thallner
2D Animator (AE)
Maria Eugênia Cruz
Technical Director
Ben Rohel
Jens Lindgren
3D Supervisor
Alex Dingfelder
Marc Steinberg
3D Lead
Elias Glasch
Joshua Studebaker
Kien Hoang
Tim Krakowiak
3D Animation Lead
Peter DeSalvo
Tyler Lancaster
Modeler
(~ Bryce Pemberton_ST)
Aaron Baker
Albert Lee
Alfonso Petersen
Beatrice Viguier
Chloe Tu
Danka Chiang
Rui Huang
Tina Chao
Wing Sze Lee
Rigging Supervisor
Ernesto Ruiz Velasco
Rigger
Juan Carlos Mendoza
Regina Cicone
3D Animator
Chris Meek
Hillary McCarthy
Josh Baum
Tommy Rodricks
3D Animator (Technical)
Jacky Jackson
Lighter
Paul Hargrave
Ryan Taylor
Compositor
Brinton Jaecks
Jiawen Liang
Melissa van het Spijker
Sam Smith
Post Supervisor
Jose Fuentes
Editor
Cameron Kelly
Dave Conte
Heather Bartholomae
Mark Ryan Myers
Randy Rubin
Head of 3D
Alex Dingfelder
Sounds Delicious
Music, Sound, & Mix
Sounds Delicious
Executive Producer
Ronnie Fountenberry
Engineer/SFX
Jason Begin
Open the Portal
Live-Action Stopmotion
Open the Portal
Executive Producer
Jason Milov
Line Producer
Pete Levin
Art Director
Jon Uttenreither
Art Department
Anuardi Cantre
Delaney McCallum
Dennis Kelly
Ethan Marak
Frank Duran
Jake Johnson
Kathryn Evans
Maura Takeshita
Warren Rush
Director of Photography
Matt Hazelrig
Key Grip
James WilderHancock
