Pantosaurus, the latest instalment of the NSPCC’s ‘Pants’ campaign, is a two-minute short designed to encourage parents to talk to their children about sexual abuse.
Created by Aardman, the film enlists the help of animated dinosaurs to explain to children how to stay safe from abuse. Aimed at four to eight-year-olds, Adelphoi Music wrote lyrics and music for Pantosaurus, who delivers his message through song.
The music was written by one of Adelphoi’s in-house composing team, Ashley Bates, who produced, recorded and sang the song with his children at Adelphoi’s studios.
Bates comments: “This was a sensitive brief, so it was important that the melody and tone of the composition were both fun and informative. The brief we were presented with included guidelines and key points, as well as what keywords to use or avoid. There were important messages to get across that had to be interpreted in a child-friendly way. It’s a delicate subject and we had to lighten the tone of the message, whilst striking a fine balance between conveying its importance, without making it cringe-worthy or uncomfortable.”
Heather Wright, executive producer at Aardman, said: “Humour, animation and music are a great way of making it less awkward for parents and young children to talk about this very difficult subject. The song has definite ‘earworm’ potential and I’m sure children will find it funny and memorable which will in turn give them the language they need to use to protect themselves.”
Pantosaurus will be appearing in cinemas across the UK with OMD UK striking a deal with AOL to distribute the video, targeting parents on premium platforms.
Credits
Animation: Aardman
Director: Lucy Izzard
Producer: Jason Fletcher-Bartholomew
Production Manager: Danny Gallagher
Storyboard / Animatic: Rob Richards
Design: Lucy Izzard, Magda Osinska
Flash Animators: Charlie Miller, Andrew Fossey, Lucy Izzard
Compositors: Jon Biggins, Bram Ttwheam
Music Production: Adelphoi Music Ltd.
Composer: Ashley Bates
Producer: Max De Lucia
Editor: Dan Hembery
Jon Creamer
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