Onesies to the rescue: Jumbla + The Wilderness Society don the garment to raise awareness
Onesies are traditionally worn to get people laughing, but Jumbla and The Wilderness Society are using them to shed light on the very serious plight of threatened animals.
Jumbla has produced seven animated clips for the environmental advocacy organisation. So far, five of them have gone live, distributed through email and numerous social media campaigns, with the remaining to be released over the coming weeks. The clips tell stories using people wearing animal onesies to get people thinking about threatened species as they would their friends and relatives.
The videos have been commissioned as part of the ‘Save Our Endangered Wildlife’ campaign.
The Wilderness Society’s climate campaign manager, Glenn Walker, says this is being launched at a crucial time.
Says Walker: “After falling sharply from 2005, land clearing in Australia is spiralling out of control due to severe weakening of laws by state governments. The devastation is heartbreaking. Native animals, including threatened species, are killed as the bulldozers drag their giant chains through the forests and woodlands that they call home.
“Through these beautiful animations created by Jumbla, we’re sharing stories that’ll inspire a healthy and vibrant Australia – a place which both humans and animals can call home.”
One of the videos depicts young kids wearing koala onesies, enthusiastically climbing a tree house. Moments later, the scene changes, and one of the children is alone and homeless on the street still dressed in his koala outfit. The video highlights the fact that 1⁄3 of koalas have been wiped out since 1990 due to habitat loss.
The Wilderness Society says it relies on the generosity of the public, through donations and memberships, to do its crucial work protecting wilderness and promoting nature.
Says Walker: “At the Wilderness Society we’re working closely with local communities to create a movement where we can protect and restore wilderness across our great continent – from old growth forests to magnificent rivers and outback landscapes to vast blue seas.
“Together, we demand that our politicians back all Australians who are building a better, safer and fairer future for all.”
Jumbla says it is thrilled to be working towards this cause.
Creative director, Callan Woolcock, says staff at the Wilderness Society initially planned to create liveaction videos, but Jumbla was able to convince them to opt for animation.
Says Woolcock: “We were the ones who pitched the idea of executing this campaign with animation. Ironically, compared with liveaction, we felt that animation actually gave more potential to breathe human life into the plight of these animals.
“We were able to add layers of richness to these stories. The works are highly illustrative in nature: everything is hand drawn, so the worlds we depicted could strike the particular dystopian mood we were after.”
Woolcock says the particular illustrative art style adds a “storybook” feel to the series, which is contrasted with the sombre content of the onesiewearing characters.
Says Woolcock: “We feel that this contrast amplifies the emotional power of the stories because they very much aren’t fairytales. These animals are facing a very uncertain future.”
Keep your eyes on The Wilderness Society’s website and Facebook for the release of more of the videos.
Client: The Wilderness Society
Animation Studio / Production Company: Jumbla