It’s not often that a music video comes along these days which makes you shout, ‘jumping jehosaphat, how’d they do that?!’ London animation outfit Shynola have made such a video with the cinema-release-only music video for Coldplay’s ‘Strawberry Swing’. Shynola animated meticulously hand-drawn chalk drawings on the floor around the real life Chris Martin, as he quests to save a (chalk) damsel from the attentions of a villainous squirrel.
Richard Kentworthy of Shynola said in a recent interview, “we are not particularly interested in making or watching slick animation. We are attracted to the more unusual uses of it, and the inherent charm that something hand-crafted has.”
The whimsical, dream-like animation certainly possesses the traditional, pastoral, slightly dark charm of classic nursery rhymes or children’s stories, in keeping with the wistful, joyous tone of ‘Strawberry Swing’.
Here’s the vid:
And a few of my favourite stills, taken from the HD version of the video at babelgum.
Chris Martin wakes up…
“What’s that?! A Beautiful (Chalk) Damsel is in distress?”
Super Chris meets his arch nemesis, Evil Squirrel.
Flying over LA.
Super Chris and the Evil Squirrel do battle.
Vive la Revolution!
True love’s kiss.
The Shynola team and Chris wrap up.
A Turtle's Salon du Thé 
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