Google Creative Lab's animated series tells the story of iPhone users who tried the Pixel 2

Google Creative Lab has created a series titled iPhone People Talking Pixel, advertising Google’s Pixel 2 phone. Comprised of nine animated shorts, the series brings the unscripted opinions of iPhone users who tried out the Pixel 2 for a week, to life.

The topics in each short range from the ease of setting up the phone to how long the battery lasts, each one illustrated in the style of nine animators to reflect the personality of the speaker and create a storyline from the soundbite. Google Creative Lab worked with Anyways to source both established and up and coming animators from around the world including Igor Bastidas, Nicolo Bianchino, Jordan Bruner, Bee Grandinetti, Sophie Koko Gate, Andy Martin, Michaela Mihalyi, César Pelizer and Chen Winner. Coming in at around a minute each, the shorts are available to view on Google UK’s YouTube channel.

“We knew that people go to YouTube when they’re researching their new mobile and that they trust other peoples’ opinions more than anything else,” Google Creative Lab explains, “we saw this as an opportunity to turn the traditional testimony on its head, making it into something truly engaging and shareable.”

“We supplied each animator with an audio file with no further information about the person behind the soundbite and worked alongside them to create a new narrative.” Showcasing a variety of styles from 2D and 3D animation to stop motion and clay, the videos are set to a soundtrack comprised almost completely of ringtones and notification sounds from the Pixel 2.

This process of allowing each animator to fully interpret each speaker’s voice and encapsulate it how they saw fit has led to unexpected but touching moments. Sophie Koko Gate has created an imaginary rabbit who gets blown away by music (and loves it a bit too much), whereas Andy Martins’ layering of clay and line drawings have transformed a blob into “a subtle study on long-term relationships and web surfing.”