Deep Sky's first installment of its animated anthology It’s The Little Things - originally released as the 2022 holiday short. Our 2D film gained over 500K views and over 60K likes on Instagram and TikTok within a two week period.

The short follows a homesteading frog settling in for a cozy evening in his log cabin during a mild and peaceful winter. Inspiration for the visual style is “cottagecore” aesthetics combined with our production team’s nostalgic perspective of their “coziest memories of winters spent at home.” Various works, including Over the Garden Wall, The Wind and the Willows, and Studio Ghibli’s famous food scenes, were also influential.

Through animation, we explore how daily rituals can hold the same sense of delight as a grand adventure, if only we take the time to notice them. Every detail on screen hints at an important piece of a larger world, just as every moment in a day is what makes up the whole of life.

Our background artist strove to create a sense of warmth throughout the interior scenes, inviting the viewer into this “slice-of-life” piece. To match the style developed by the illustration team, animation leads combined traditional and modern animation techniques. In addition, the team developed custom brushes to match the delicate and vintage-inspired illustration style, pushing Adobe Animate past its typical vector-based medium.

The animation production was a coordinated team effort between 2D animators, illustrators, and other internal production teams. The 3D team helped create complex visual effects while preserving the feel of the hand-drawn animation. Finally, the sound design created a deeper ASMR-inspired experience for viewers.

It’s the Little Things will continue with seasonal installments. The next video premieres in Spring 2023.

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