Produce a stylish and clever animated video that brings the Disney+ logo to life in a way that is decidedly unexpected and surprising by drawing inspiration from anywhere in the wide universe of content that's available to stream on the Disney+ platform.
Disney+ wants to showcase the platform's unique personality and spirit with short, stylish, and highly visual animated videos that bring the Disney+ logo to life in an unexpected way. The greatest stories live on Disney+, and we don't just mean all the Disney classics. It's way more than a bunch of princesses and castles. A Disney+ subscription also gets you incredible sports action on ESPN+, more adult-focused, groundbreaking series on Hulu, breathtaking National Geographic documentaries, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the entire Star Wars saga, the iconic Pixar movies, even The Simpsons - and that's just scratching the surface, because there's still a massive library of live programming, news, reality TV, and original content of all shapes and sizes. From basketball to breaking news and Bob's Burgers, if you're looking for the boldest stories and entertainment, Disney+ has you covered.
Given this vast breadth of content, it's not surprising that most people still associate the Disney+ logo with Walt Disney's classics, but it's time for a change, and that's what this project is about. Disney is looking for multiple talented animators to each create ONE animated video that cleverly reveals or visually recontextualizes the Disney+ logo. The videos created here will need to fill space between and within ad-supported programming on Disney+, and since that programming has all sorts of unconventional runtimes, we'll need to create content that can run anywhere from a few short beats to a full thirty seconds.
This will require premium, polished animation - a core tenet of the Disney+ brand is quality - but all animation styles are on the table. We're talking 2D, 3D, stop-motion, papercraft, claymation, cel, motion graphics, flip books - if it's animated at all, we want to see it. Creatively, we're looking for something elevated and surprising that can grab viewers' attention in highly visual way. This is not about a narrative so much as it is about creating a fun way to set up and subvert audience expectations by taking elements that people know or recognize, and flipping them on their head. Surprise and delight!
When it comes to your creative concept, your video should be generic, evergreen, and free of any messaging (the only text that appears on screen should be the Disney+ logo). Critically, Disney+ is NOT just for kids, and there's plenty of edgier content on the platform, so your video should speak to a broader adult audience by tapping into one or more of the other types of content that Disney+ brings to the table. That said, you CANNOT use any actual footage from any Disney+ content in your video, and you should NOT feature any actors' likenesses, but you CAN feature icons, props, and settings from a broad range of different recognizable Disney+ properties. It is even possible to mix references from different franchises or "universes" so long as the video is clearly not set within a specific world. For example, Marvel and Star Wars are not in the same universe, but if you wanted to create an animation that's set in an abstract space and that plays with lightsabers and infinity stones, that's fair game.
In terms of the logo itself, you'll note that the Disney+ color palette is inspired by the magic of the night sky and the dream-like colors of the Aurora Borealis. While your video CAN lean into these colors, and while the night sky could be a good place to draw inspiration from, you're not restricted to this color palette or that theme. Either way, the end of your video should resolve on the the Disney+ logo, and the logo should be on screen for at least three seconds. The logo does NOT need to be persistent throughout the video (although it can be!), and all elements of the logo (i.e. Disney, +, and the arc) need to stay together, so you can't have different pieces of the logo animate on screen at different times. Importantly, you CANNOT change the color of the logo (it can only be black or white), you CANNOT alter or change the Disney script font, and the design of the logo itself is not open for interpretation. That's why we say your video should reveal the Disney+ logo in a clever way, or recontextualize it by situating it somewhere unexpected: you cannot "transform" or "deconstruct" it, and the logo needs to stay intact. More specific brand guidelines will also be shared with the greenlit animators.
In terms of assets, you should expect to deliver a :05, a :15, and a :30 version of your video. That said, the Disney+ team recognizes that certain concepts may work great for a :30, but not at all for an :05, so while it's not ideal, it's possible that Disney may alter the deliverables for certain filmmakers in response to their creative approach. Ultimately, Disney+ will need even more lengths and variations; some as short as 1 second, but they'll only need these assets to serve as the "base" asset, and they'll handle the rest internally as needed.
Similarly, pre-production may look different for each greenlit animator depending on their animation style, but you'll be expected to at least share a treatment and a storyboard animatic during the pre-production phase. We'll want to work quickly and efficiently, but we also realize different animation styles require different timelines, so we'll work with each greenlit animator to develop a timeline that fits their specific animation style and set of deliverables. Essentially, we want you to pitch your super cool and ambitious animation idea, and if greenlit, we'll work with you to develop a process and timeline that makes sense to bring it to life.
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: Each creator should expect to deliver at least 3 total video assets:
EXPECTED TIMELINE:
RELEVANT ASSETS: HERE
EXPOSURE: We expect content will be used on the platforms below, but it is NOT limited to these platforms.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Disney+ subscribers with an ad-supported subscription, from all over the globe, who come from almost every demographic and background.
TONE/FEEL: Vibrant, creative, surprising, imaginative, unexpected
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
While Hulu is a more irreverent and rebellious brand than Disney+, they have created some fun animated logo videos that could serve as inspiration for the types of animation styles and visual creativity that Disney+ is looking for in these videos.
Remember, Disney+ has Frozen, but it also has Deadpool & Wolverine, and 30 for 30.
In order to be considered, include the below materials in your submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery. All Pitches remain private, even after a Pitch is selected, and Tongal strives to have Pitch selections made by the end of the Evaluation period, but additional time may be required by the Sponsor, depending on any number of factors.
The most compelling pitches will be greenlit by the Sponsor, and the responsible creator will then receive an email from Tongal producers detailing next steps. All submitters will also receive an automated email notification that a selection has been announced. To ensure you’re receiving project updates, review your email settings to check that you haven’t unsubscribed.
Creators who’ve been selected will receive funding upon completing the Winner Affidavit and the IP Assignment. Payment of the pitch funds is subject to a payment schedule determined by Tongal, typically included with the project timeline.
PRE-PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS: Prior to the commencement of actual production, creators MUST receive final approval from the Sponsor on the elements below. There may be multiple rounds of feedback until an element is approved.
If you begin production before you have received final approval, you may need to reshoot or reanimate at your own expense.
For convenience, we've provided some helpful templates that you can consider using for pre-production materials, and they can all be accessed here.
BUILDING YOUR TEAM: Looking for help? Post crew and production opportunities connected to Tongal projects on Backlot. Backlot includes search tools to help you find collaborators and crew by role, skill set, location, and more, for productions of any size and type. Tongal also supports inclusivity in all productions, and strongly encourages you to hire diverse talent for your team. To find additional options for staff & crew in your area, check out these resources and partners.
REVISION REQUIREMENTS & RESOURCES: Once Content has been submitted and the initial Production Phase completed, greenlit creators will enter into Revisions. Creators will perform reasonable edits on their videos according to the Sponsor's feedback. Check out our Filmmaker Resource Portal to access helpful post-production resources like Text-Safe Guides for different platforms, Project File Organization Tutorial, Export Presets, and Captioning services.
MUSIC: If you use music from a library for your content, you MUST use one of Disney's six music providers. Access will be provided if your pitch is selected, at no charge solely for incorporation into submissions to this project, and will not require a Music Release Form.
If you choose to use original music, you must get pre-approval, and then fill out and submit our Music Release Form. Please ensure your composer reviews and signs this form BEFORE beginning their work.
ASSET DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS & RESOURCES: You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec in order to submit final payment. You are responsible for any costs associated with the hard drive and shipping. Tongal also reserves the right to request all raw files associated with the project.
To ensure a smoother delivery, please review the Export Presets, Specifications, and Project File Organization Tutorial in our Filmmaker Resource Portal.