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Sesame Street x
Netflix
In this client project for Netflix, I created a teaser advertisement animation for Netflix working with another animator together to announce that Sesame Street has found a new home on the platform.
Media: Cinema 4D, NukeX, Adobe After Effects
Research
Sesame Street targets preschoolers (ages 2–5) and their parents or caregivers, who prioritize safe, educational content. Known for promoting literacy, emotional development, and diversity, it’s a trusted brand among families.
In a Netflix advertisement, it's essential to reflect this dual appeal—capturing children’s attention with beloved characters and reassuring adults of the show’s quality. Highlighting Sesame Street’s move to Netflix helps maintain trust, reinforce its legacy, and attract both loyal and new viewers.
Design Approaches Pitch
Design Approach 1
There were 2 design approaches that I pitched to the client in my presentation with my 2 other teammates: Christina Li and Dino Claypoo.
In this first design approach, "Behind the Scenes" , I try to focus mainly on tying the Netflix logo reveal with characters from Seasame Street, and introduce them to the audiences before they enter the plateform.
The biggest challenge was to create a footage with the actual muppet using AI. There are many failed attempts and the final result shown on the right is still lacking some quality motion.
The second approach was 3D-based, combined with cel animation and 3D compositing. It was titled "Just Moved In", designed to highlight Sesame Street’s arrival into the Netflix family. The concept featured moving boxes in an empty room, with cel-animated Sesame Street characters interacting with Netflix. I collaborated with my teammate Dino Claypoo on this direction, which the client selected. I built the 3D scene and handled compositing, while Dino created the cel animations that appeared on the boxes.
Design Approach 2
Christina Li's contribution to this project
Another pitch was made by the other team member Christina Li, and that would focus on combining Elmo with N logo and creating a new logo reveal. Check out her work by clicking here. Together, our works will create a whole package for promoting Seasame Street on Netflix.
Challenges
One of the key challenges was collaborating within a small team of three, particularly when Dino and I had very different schedules. We had a lot of discussions about punctuality, we worked hard on our communications and keeping each other posted, and we tried our best to align our schedules so the entire workflow could go smoothly. We gradually developed more efficient ways along the way to work together and improved our team dynamics over time.
Animation Version 01
Animatic Pass
Revision Pass Composite
Modeling in C4D only took about 2 days to finish, and there were minor changes in the textures and camera movements. So, another major challenge was dealing with technical issues while compositing in NukeX, especially since I was still getting familiar with 3D compositing. I spent a significant amount of time in office hours with my Nuke instructor, who helped me with file setup and troubleshooting. I also turned to ChatGPT when I encountered problems I didn’t fully understand, which provided useful guidance and potential solutions. While the process was demanding, it was also a rewarding and enjoyable learning experience.
After rendering the tracked composite animation from Nuke, I brought it into After Effects for final touches: adding dust particles and a subtle vignette to enhance the narrative-driven "Just Moved In" atmosphere.
NukeX Final Composite Breakdown
Tracking in 3D can be quite challenging, and this project required extensive roto and tracking work during the compositing process. I began by tracking the 3D scene using the Camera Tracker 3D, working with .abc files exported from my Cinema 4D project. I then rotoscoped the areas that would appear on the boxes, carefully managing color and matching the lighting and shadows for a seamless look.
Since the animation involved two boxes, Dino and I decided to split it into two parts: the first featuring the character walking toward the target, and the second showing the two characters meeting and drawing the "N" logo together. The most difficult part was aligning the two animation segments. We went through multiple versions, and the Transform node in Nuke was especially helpful in matching the characters’ scale and position across the shots.
Final Animation with Audio
The client preferred the boxes with stains, as they better fit the "move-in" vibe. I also toned down the stains so the main focus would be on the logo. The camera movement was also sped up to allow more time for the meet animation. Additionally, Dino did an amazing job on adding the final audio which made the animation more alive and brought it to a higher level.
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