Stop-Motion Animator (And Academy Award Nominee) PES Directs Branded Video For Honda

Adam Pesapane, the stop-motion animator known simply as PES, has made a mark with independent productions that re-purpose household objects in inventive new ways. His most famous video, Fresh Guacamole, even earned an Academy Award nomination in 2013. PES’ latest work, however, is not an independent creation. Instead, he has teamed up with Honda to release a clever short film called Paper, which runs through the car company’s 66-year history.

In Paper, which was created in partnership with ad agency RPA, Honda’s automobiles, as well as its planes, bikes, and other vehicles, are drawn onto small scraps of paper. From there, disembodied hands move the scraps across the screen, simulating their movement across the world and Honda’s movement throughout the history of transportation. At the end of the video, a small, fortune cookie-esque strip of paper declares “You never know where a dream will lead you,” asserting Honda’s ongoing innovation into the future.

As with PES’ other work, Paper successfully plays with the viewer’s perspective and uses deceptive angles to keep us on our toes. Successfully executing this vision, however, wasn’t easy. In a behind the scenes video

This is not PES’ first dip into branded content; on his YouTube channel, he has shared several commercials he has created, including a couple for PSP. For Honda, on the other hand, Paper is the latest in a long line of clever videos. Last year, the car company teamed with ad agency Wieden + Kennedy to create a brilliant interactive video that lets viewers flip between two parallel timelines.

Those who prefer PES’ unsponsored content need not worry; he continues to release original animations every couple of months. One of his most recent productions is Submarine Sandwich, which was funded by a $30,000 Kickstarter campaign. You can see that film, along with PES’ other work, on his website.