The “Good Guest Guide to Japan” is a helpful animated advisory film for anyone who may be traveling to Japan from abroad. The film takes us on a whirlwind journey of the sights & sounds of Japan, while also giving the viewer lots of helpful advice for acting like a local while in the country.

For this film, we devised a playful look inspired by origami, incorporating colorful paper patterns into the backgrounds and animating dynamic folding transitions between scenes. This idea was even worked into the flow of the film, for example using inspiration derived from origami craft instructions to design signs about removing your shoes before entering a home.

The style of this project was also driven by Japanese illustrator Ryo Takemasa, whose beautiful illustrations of Japan also incorporate a paper-texture like sensibility. Ryo created key background designs which our animation team then brought to life in a stop-motion inspired way.