5 motion designs that changed the world of motion design

Metamorphosis by Buck Studio

Buck is now one of the biggest motion design studios in the USA, and it was with this film, released in 2012, that almost everything began. Emotionally speaking, there's nothing to say: it's weird, heady, dark, and directly touches our subconscious. But it's the technique used that makes this possible: entirely hand-drawn animation with a high frame rate, approaching that of a film, that makes the work remarkably fluid.

The music and vocals immerse us in the world created by artistic director Joe Mullen.

To find out more, visit the dedicated page on the Buck website.

You can also listen to its story as told by co-founder Ryan Honey.

And if that adventure appealed to you, The Mill, another big American studio, came up with another story for GoodBooks, directed at the time by famous Frenchmen McBess and Simon Landrein.

Waiting for superman by JR Canest

This film marks the beginning of the phenomenal career of Jorge R. Canedo Estrada, founder of the Ordinary Folk studio. I have a soft spot for his indecently paced graduation film, but the film I'm presenting here has been referenced so much that it had to be on this list.

The fluidity of the movements and the simplicity of the effective but no less striking design is what sets this film apart from all the others that had been produced up to that point. JR Canest, as he sometimes calls himself, shows here that he is an outstanding animator, and he continues to impress with ever more complex productions.

Many films have been inspired by it, so much so that it's almost become the norm.

The art director is still Joe Mullen, and the studio that produced it is still Buck...

A year in sport, by Vucko

Andrew Vucko made a name for himself with a few other films before producing this one, but I feel this animation has the perfect rhythm.

The cuts are clean but at the same time smooth, the transitions are almost invisible, while virtually every shot has a different color, the music is very present, in perfect harmony with the visuals, the design is minimal yet very strong.

This form of design has become the trademark of his studio, Vucko.

And guess who's joining him on this project?... JR Canest!

Mork, by Phil Borst

Phil Borst is also one of those talented animators who know how to breathe life into the most insignificant objects, like this sphere. It reminds me of Pixar's first short film, Luxo Jr. which won acclaim precisely because the lamp showed surprisingly realistic emotions.

The completely offbeat classical music adds a special sensibility to this very short, one-minute work.

This film may not look like much, but it heralds a new era, in 2012, of spinning spheres and abstract animations, made possible by technical advances in dedicated software such as After Effects.

Of course, Phil Borst also collaborated with Vucko on another remarkable work, full of spinning spheres, The Power of Like.

FINN, by Gmunk

Gmunk is a bit of a rock star in international motion design, and this film, which swept all the awards when it was released in 2001, is one of his first.

A film on acid, with a frantic rhythm and a supercharged electronic soundtrack, it must have been one of the films that made the strongest impression on me at the time. When I (re)-discovered a few months ago that Gmunk was the author of this film, I realized that his career was no accident... Take a look at his website, and you'll see he's been quite busy!

Which motion design film has impressed you the most?