This is an animated project that was made at EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory), from 2021. It was produced as part of a school activity - Introducing Your Gut Microbiome organised by SEPE (Science Education and Public Engagement), formerly known as ELLS (European Learning Laboratory for the Life Sciences).
The short introduces gut microbes and their purposes. It features two fictitious characters, one with a healthy gut microbiome and one with an unhealthy gut microbiome. The objective of this activity was for students to understand not only the gut microbes, but the characters’ microbiome compositions.
The film was made using digital 2D animation on Toon Boom Harmony and stop-motion techniques. Some of the scenes are made entirely with 2D animation, some with stop-motion using plush toys, pearls, toothpicks and cut-outs. Also, there are some scenes mixing the two techniques together.
Video: https://youtu.be/OisAq1zRo-M
European Molecular Biology Laboratory Copyright license: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
