Case Study: Childhood Memory. Christmas Story in Animated Video by SHED

This case study shares the story of the video production process, all inspired by the spirit of the Christmas and winter holidays. Let’s check the creative flow behind the kind, atmospheric, and touching animated video “Childhood Memory” by SHED Studio, an animation and post-production company based in Canada.

We will look closer at the character art, composition, and environment design that the studio team shared in the Behance presentation for the project. But first, enjoy the video and catch the Christmas magic vibe.

Storytelling

The description of the story provided by the creators is the following.

With his broken teddy bear in his arms, Timothé stops in front of a window where elves are busy preparing Christmas presents. An elf sees the scene and gives the order to adjust the production. Timothé receives the pretty toque with a teddy bear ear attached, and his smile lights up. The video transports the viewer into an unreal world, a Christmas tale where anything is possible.

The animation is stop-motion style; the characters are made of wood and felt, and the machines are made of cardboard.

Inspiration

The large windows of the holiday season and the elf workshops inspired the team to create a universe that is both magical and minimalist.

Design and Concept

From these different images of inspiration, the team started work on a storyboard and concept art.

Character Art, Environment, and Composition

The characters of Timothé and the kind, funny elves were imagined and drawn by SHED artists. In modeling and texturing, deep attention was paid to details to accurately render the character’s scale.

The environment art is also another impressive aspect of this video. The atmosphere of Christmas captures the viewer with tons of sophisticated, well-thought-out details people typically associate with winter holiday vibes, such as snow, flashlights, stars, baubles, and the like. The variety of textures and color palette immerse us in a sense of coziness.

Shed’s lighting and compositing artists recreated the atmosphere of a winter evening. The window is beautifully lit and eye-catching.

All in all, the artistic effort resulted in a beautiful, captivating story of kindness and a childlike belief in Christmas magic.

To see more work by SHED Studio, visit their website or Behance portfolio. Also, check another case study about this team’s work on the Made with Love animated video production.

New design case studies are coming soon; stay tuned for new posts.

For more inspiration, check the sets of other posts from our D4U Gallery, where we gather impressive creatives to share their art with you, for example:

• Christmas greeting cards with cute characters
• logos and identity design
• character illustrations for an educational project
• wildlife-inspired illustration projects
• vibrant digital illustrations collection
• illustration-based packaging for food and beverage
• artistic packaging design for biscuit brand
• abstract poster designs
• food lovers guide: illustrations and graphic design
• 3D character art projects
• wine packaging design
• captivating 3D animation concepts
• impressive packaging designs 
• childhood illustrations