Expanding familiar breakfast brands on the Web

What’s their Gig?

Cereal, luckily, is one of those inexpensive necessities that refuses to be downsized by the current economy. And Chicago-based Calabash Animation, which has developed and animated such familiar brand icons as the Trix Rabbit and Lucky Charms Leprechaun for General Mills, feels downright lucky in these uncertain times to continue to share that particular pot of broadcast gold with its long-standing commercial clients. But like a pair of plucky animated characters curious about what else lies at the end of the rainbow, company principals and co-owners Sean Henry and Wayne Brejcha are hard at work helping their clients expand those brands to the Web with Flash. They are also creating their own brand of highly original animated shorts for the festival circuit and theatrical release, and with an increased focus on CG, hope to broaden their client base to indie and feature film effects work.

Despite the new direction and newish owners (since 2004), Calabash Animation officially began in 1986 under the direction of founding animators Ed Newmann and Monica Kendall. Today Henry and Brejcha, who bought the company from their former bosses, employ a full-time staff of nine animators and upwards of 30 freelance artists at any given time.

The Cool Factor

From its inception Calabash has developed and animated an A-list roster of familiar brand characters that includes the likes of Little Caesar, Lucky the Leprechaun, the Trix Rabbit, The Keebler Elves, Cap’n Crunch and Mr. Clean. Henry says the shop’s recent series of Webisodes for General Mills, in which the Trix Rabbit is cast, alternatively, as cowboy and high school musical star, is a prime example of the kind of low-cost alternatives and end-to-end service Calabash offers its clients. "We think we are a great one-source option," he says. "It’s easy for us to adapt existing designs for the Web and other media. Many of our clients find that this helps to maintain a sense of cohesion within a brand. We often do the character illustrations for packaging for this reason."

When not rolling out a character from concept to box, the studio has developed an impressive reel of original short-form work, notably Stubble Trouble, nominated for an Academy Award in 2002. Calabash’s most recent short, Botnik, is currently touring animation film festivals (catch the trailer here watch now). Henry says future short-form projects will be "even shorter in length, and possibly more experimental." The form is the perfect vehicle, he notes, for showcasing newer animation directions Calabash is pursuing, especially the kind of work "we may not be quite as well known for."

The Geek Factor

Though Calabash embraces new technology, the higher goal, says Henry, "is being able to bring our sense of artistry to any medium." That is why all Calabash animators are cross-trained in a variety of animation software and styles and regularly update their skill sets on new software and hardware. "But the technology will never replace the artist," Henry adds. "And I think that doing traditional animation forces an artist to plan their work a little more carefully, which helps them internalize basic skills like storytelling, acting, design, motion and composition." Click here to see that artistry in action. watch now