The Wonder Tower is the nickname given to the new home of the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Set to open in 2023, the new children’s tower brings inpatient, emergency/trauma and outpatient care under one roof, with the benefits of being connected to an academic medical center.
To announce the arrival of this new development, Markham Yard agency and LOBO created a film that expresses visually and storytelling-wise the comfortable, caring, healing experience the new facilities will provide to children. Directed by Isa Littger, the spot’s main protagonist is a teddy bear who gets a rip on its arm and is placed by its owner in a toy house-like version of the CHoR, where it goes through a treatment journey that plays like an adventurous ride through a wonder-filled world.
Our general approach was to give the film a handmade feel, using CGI to faithfully emulate the textures of real materials like wood, clay and felt and the typical aspects of stop motion animation. This direction added a warm human touch and a tactile sense to the campaign, with a refined design sensibility that combines streamlined shapes and a limited color palette based on the brand’s visual identity, resulting in a film that appeals to an adult demographic as well as to kids.
