16 December 2013

Cartoon Animals Illustrate The Power Of Empathy In This Beautiful Animation

[Click here to view the video in this article]







RSA Shorts has created a beautiful animation that brings Dr Brene Brown’s 2010 TED Talk ‘The Power of Vulnerability’ to life with the help of cartoon animals.



In ‘The Power of Empathy’, a sad fox, an empathetic bear and a judgmental deer deftly illustrate Dr Brown’s words on the importance of possessing empathy and having empathy for others.



“Empathy fuels connection. Sympathy drives disconnection.” When the fox is hurting and in a dark hole of pain, the bear climbs down to hug her and let her know she’s not alone; in contrast the oblivious deer offers a sandwich, then takes a bite out of it. Rather than offering advice, real empathic connection comes from being in touch with our own fragilities in order to understand another person’s situation.



Bristol-based Katy Davis, the animator behind the video explains its hand-drawn look, “I animate the old school way, as I love little imperfections and quirks, so I illustrate each frame by hand. I draw using pen on paper, then scan my illustrations in to my computer. I then clean and color in Photoshop, then composite everything together using After Effects.”



Simple but moving, the video gets Dr Brown’s message across in a way that doesn’t feel heavy-handed or preachy, and serves as a reminder for us to be kinder and more gentle to one another as we go about our daily lives.



Watch the animation below.

























[via Fast Company]