Both 2D and 3D animated content from standalone projects to suit entertainment, educational, or corporate projects to the management of full production pipelines for animated series, game or feature production.
We can take a project from script to screen, or provide services to any part of a production including illustration, scripting, storyboarding, animatics, modelling and VFX.
Our 2D and 3D animation services are good for:
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) recently conducted a huge remodelling project for the National Electoral Education Centre (NEEC) educational space in Old Government House, Canberra. Monkeystack was commissioned to produce a 3D interactive game for the space and provide a seamless experience between the physical and digital world.
We produced the 3D game ‘DemocraCity’ using Maya and Unity, achieving a compelling and educational interactive experience for deployment on large touchscreens designed for self-directed learning. The game is built as a 3D world full of buildings, unique characters, vehicles and interiors. We developed multiple minigames that feature drag and drop, tabletop and role-playing mechanics to deliver learning through fun as a user’s newfound knowledge is put to the test.
Monkeystack partnered with State Opera South Australia for G&S FEST, a 10-day celebration of the founding fathers of British comedy opera, Gilbert & Sullivan, producing an animated TVC that encapsulated the flamboyant fun that G&S are so well known for.
Education Services Australia commissioned us to produce a 2D animated series of educational resources for early years students to build interoception awareness (feeling more connected with your body and your bodily signals) and practice self-regulation activities. We created five ‘Brain Break Bops’ animated music videos, each demonstrating an interoception activity, plus other fun dance moves and memorable song lyrics, for the viewer to follow along and practice as whole class groups, smaller groups or in one-to-one sessions.
BAE Systems Australia commissioned Monkeystack to produce a launch video and a suite of mission animations to debut the ‘STRIX’, their new, one of a kind VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) uncrewed air system, at the 2023 Avalon Airshow in Geelong, Australia.
Our animated, photo-realistic visualisations of the pre-manufactured STRIX played on screens to the Avalon audience as a 1:1 scale model was unveiled for the first time.
The reveal was a showstopping highlight that created intrigue, excitement and a lasting impression for attendees from industry, government and defence at the first Avalon Airshow since 2019.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) program of face-to-face election training was disrupted due to the global pandemic. They needed to find a new and innovative way to bring people together for one Australia’s largest logistical exercises, the Australian federal election.
Monkeystack were commissioned to produce ‘ElectionSim’, an immersive, interactive and media-rich gamified solution as an alternative to the face-to-face simulations conducted at a dedicated facility.
We developed ElectionSim as a 3D world in the Unity engine, featuring 2D and 3D animations to create the gamified content that includes multiple environments, interactive characters, information cards and learning modules.
Hike is an animated short film focusing on the relationship between a mother and child, gently exploring the emotional turmoil of grief, memory and growth in the wake of a tragedy. It follows a young teenager honouring the memory of their mother while connecting with nature, ultimately discovering catharsis and resolution.
The story focuses on the interconnectedness of place and memory, and the bittersweetness of grief, recollection and healing through the passage of time in the wake of loss.
Hike offers a unique moment to escape daily distractions and focus on what really matters – our relationships.
Hike – A Monkeystack Production
Financed with the assistance of: South Australian Film Corporation and Epic Games
Monkeystack’s Hike was selected as one of the finalists across Australia and New Zealand for the second year of Epic Games’ South Australian Film Corporation-supported Unreal Engine Short Film Challenge.
BAE Systems Australia commissioned Monkeystack to produce an interactive experience ‘Cube’ to debut at the Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition 2021 in Brisbane, Queensland.
The team at Monkeystack produced the experiential space with our design, development and delivery representing BAE System’s structured brand guidelines as a modern, forward-thinking company with cutting-edge innovations. We built a VR-based pre-visualisation system in Unity to instruct the Cube’s physical and digital relationship, and interactivity – providing a way to build and test real world solutions without the boundaries of location.
Recent studies suggest that body image is the no.1 issue effecting children, with more than 70% admitting to not liking their body and wanting to change it.
Embrace Kids is a social impact documentary by Taryn Brumfitt of Body Image Movement and SLA Films, exploring the world of body image through the eyes of children.
Monkeystack produced 2D animations for this important project, joining the documentary’s energetic mixture of live action, interviews and music, covering topics including social media, photoshopping, ‘fitspiration’, the influence of media and advertising on body image and role models.
Emotion Coaching is based on the principle that nurturing and emotionally supportive relationships provide optimal contexts for the promotion of children’s outcomes and resilience.
Monkeystack produced a 2D animated ‘Hand Model of the Brain’ for Emotion Coaching UK, developers and providers of Emotion Coaching training and consultancy, to be used as a valuable resource within their training.
Monkeystack partnered with the Adelaide Film Festival to produce and present Tales in Light, a new project that turns Adelaide’s physical spaces into a canvas for immersive visual storytelling.
The inaugural Tales in Light story ‘NUN HIT WONDER’, the story of Adelaide’s very own Sister Janet Mead’s extraordinary rise from a Mercy Sister to Grammy nominee, launched at the 2022 Adelaide Film Festival Opening Night Gala and ran each evening throughout the duration of the festival.
Our collaboration with Michael Cusack and Princess Pictures for Koala Man was just the beginning. YOLO Crystal Fantasy is the next chapter, and with the series being commissioned by Adult Swim, part of the giant Cartoon Network in the US, what a chapter it is. It is the first time that Adult Swim has commissioned a series outside of the US!
This time around, Justin Wight (Monkeystack Director) Co-Produced the series and Monkeystack put together a team of 19 to produce the 8 x 10min episodes for the first season – which premiered to US audiences in August 2020 and Australian audiences on Stan. in May 2022.
We think that it’s one of the largest 2D animated series ever produced in South Australia.
Monkeystack accepted the quest to produce a digital game for Rize Above, the multi-stream primary prevention relationship education program for young people, developed by Relationships Australia South Australia in partnership with the City of Salisbury.
Magic & Mayhem is an adventure quest game with a narrative focused on consent in relationships, demonstrated as the user chooses characters to take on their quest, with some displaying more enthusiastic responses than others, what outfit they should wear and to assign an item per character; from potions the character can use when needed to magical beans forced upon the character.
“Come Quick, Dots and Diamond. The mummies have come alive!”
Dots & Diamond: The Mysterious Case of the Missing Mummies is a narrative-driven adventure game available on mobile platforms via the Apple iOS and Google PLAY stores. Monkeystack developed and produced the game as our own IP within our Exo Pexo brand of ‘edutainment’ games for young people.
Monkeystack are honoured to have been a part of the South Australia Remembers Service and Sacrifice projections for Virtual War Memorial Australia.
We produced a 20-minute animated narrative that was projected onto the façade of one of SA’s most iconic buildings, the Anzac House at the Torrens Parade Grounds, from sunset – midnight across 11 evenings between 1st November – Remembrance Day for the people of Adelaide to visit, pay respects and remember.
We are proud to have helped this magnificent project come to life with support from the SA Government with Project Partners Virtual War Memorial Australia, KWP Agency, Coopers and AJS Lighting Sound Events.
Monkeystack was engaged by Austroads to produce a library of Hazard Perception Test (HPT) videos and supporting material.
This library includes 197 animated videos for motorcycle riders as well as car drivers, providing materials for the world’s first motorcycle-specific HPT.
Shown to reduce the likelihood of crashes, the computer based HPT measures a driver’s or rider’s ability to recognise potentially dangerous situations on the road and respond appropriately. The test is part of the licensing process in NSW, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland.
Monkeystack was commissioned to produce the animated pilot for Koala Man, a collaboration between Princess Pictures and Michael Cusack, with support from Screen Australia and the South Australian Film Corporation.
Monkeystack put together a team of exceptional animators to work on the project over several months to bring to life Koala Man – whose world is just like Batman, but much less rich and not as cool.
The show is classified MA…so is our case study!
Flinders University College of Education, Psychology & Social Work commissioned Monkeystack to develop their anti-bullying P.E.A.C.E Pack intervention into a modern and engaging program as a part of the charity-first collaboration between Breakthrough Foundation and Little Heroes Foundation.
We produced a series of animations and a range of online content for the Little Breakthrough Heroes: Big Talks For Little People children’s mental health initiative highlighting the message that “Mental illness affects everyone… including children”.
In Australia, approximately 8 children per week are admitted to hospitals with farm-related injuries, with 1/3 of those being visitors to farms.
To combat this, George the Farmer formed a unique partnership with FarmSafe Australia, commissioning Monkeystack to produce an animated music video for ‘The Farm Safety Song’ as part of their curriculum-aligned educational guide teaching kids about being safe on farm.
Racking up over 8.5K views on George the Farmer’s YouTube channel in the first two weeks of being live, ‘The Farm Safety Song’ is a public service announcement formed of a catchy melody, engaging animated characters and a significant message of the “plenty of ways to stuff up on a farm”.
Monkeystack was commissioned to develop a large scale touch screen climate change interactive for the Changing Climate permanent gallery display at the Australian Museum, Sydney.
We ‘twinned’ the development, with two identical screens and servers located in both Adelaide and Sydney meaning the Museum exhibition team could play as we built.
CH4 Global commissioned Monkeystack to produce an animated series that tell the story of their fascinating work in combatting climate change through a particular seaweed – Asparagopsis, a red seaweed that grows natively on Australian and New Zealand coasts.
Did you know that together with other grazing animals, cows contribute about 40% of the annual methane gas level towards global warming? Australian researchers found that supplementing up to 1% of a cow’s daily food intake with an Asparagopsis product reduced methane production by up to 90%.
CH4 Global’s methane-busting project is supported by South Australian Landing Pad, which Monkeystack are proud to be approved suppliers on.
When it comes to representing people living with disability, personifying life and characteristics in a genuine manner is a step forward for all, rather than disassociating and detracting from reality. We believe animation can be the ultimate tool to demonstrate this, delivering a message understood and appreciated by a diverse audience.
Monkeystack have been working with Community Living Australia to produce a series of animated explainer videos on the topic ‘Abuse is Not OK’ to be presented in lived experience workshops and used as valuable user resources across their website and YouTube page.
Monkeystack was commissioned by the Global Business & Talent Attraction Taskforce, the Australian Government initiative partnering the Department of Home Affairs with Australian Trade and Investment, to produce a showcase of the digital games industry in Australia.
Our capability and understanding of games design, our Player 2 – the amazing team at IGEA (Interactive Games & Entertainment Association), and being active members of the games industry was just the XP needed. Achievement Unlocked: Australia.
Monkeystack was commissioned by Cohda Wireless to produce an explainer video for the release of their new technology, V2X-Locate.
Cohda Wireless is a world leader in the emerging field of innovative connected vehicle solutions and software, setting the benchmark for tomorrow’s transportation with proven applications.
Monkeystack’s realistic and effective animations demonstrate issues faced without the V2X-Locate and how Cohda’s technology will revolutionise safe city driving. This relationship continues to build our capabilities in world-class visualisations and simulations.
Adelaide locals Nation asked us to produce an animated video for their client, the Australian Space Discovery Centre. The video was created to welcome visitors to the newly opened centre in Lot Fourteen.
The Discovery Centre aims to inspire the next generation of the space workforce with stories of innovation, curiosity and technology.
Primal Surfacing, part of the VSA Roads Group of Companies, commissioned Monkeystack to produce this realistic animation of their new OBV Production Unit. It’s the world’s first high production synchronised spraying and aggregate spreader and it’s in Australia. This unit is a game changer, setting new standards in road surfacing safety, innovation and environmental sustainability and we hope that our animation sets a new standard in photo-realistic industrial visualisations.
Initially conceived as a tool to support St Hallett representatives, Monkeystack created a ‘handcrafted’ illustrated history of the vineyard.
It celebrates the 70 year milestone of an iconic South Australian brand through raw earthy tones and flowing movement; an artistic direction developed alongside agency Fuller Brand Communications that represents the essence of the brand presented in a beautifully engaging timeline.
Learn first aid, because you don’t need a cape or superpowers to be a real hero!
Building on previous award winning World First Aid Day campaigns, Monkeystack created this series of quirky animated shorts to spread a message from Red Cross about first aid training; a reminder to everyone that simply knowing first aid could save a life – no cape or superpowers required.
Combining thousands of still images set within digitally created environments, The Moment tells the story of an old man torn from his slumber by a horrible and unshakable vision.
The Moment was selected to be part of animation history at The Australian Cinémathèque at Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art’s 2021 exhibition APT10 Cinema: The Magic Arts – Australian Animation from the 1970s to Now.
The Moment is an adaptation of a short story originally written by award-winning comedian Shaun Micallef and co-produced by Monkeystack and Smoking Gun Productions.
Directed by Grant Sputore and starring Hilary Swank, Clara Rugaard, Rose Byne and Luke Hawker, I Am Mother is a Netflix sci-fi thriller about a teenage girl, who is the first of a new generation of humans to be raised by Mother, a robot designed to repopulate the earth after the extinction of humankind.
Monkeystack produced the on set practical screen content. On over 15 various screens we crafted animated sequences for the interactive door panels and touchscreens, various computer boot up sequences and all of the screens on the robot ‘Mother’ by Weta Workshop.
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 25 January 2019 with distribution across Netflix in several countries on 7 June 2019. It was nominated as one of the thirty-four feature films in competition to be nominated for the 2019 AACTA Awards.
“A warm and furry series about being a ‘Nuff’ in a world where enough is never enough.” Zuzu & the SuperNuffs is a 8 x 5 minute 2D animated children’s comedy series for ages 4-8 animated by Monkeystack.
It follows the adventures of 5 furry aliens called Nuffs after their intergalactic bathtub almost crash-lands on top of 13 year old ZuZu Becky-Jones.
Produced by KidsCo and Matchbox Pictures, the first episode aired online on August 12, 2013 and international cable channel KidsCo on August 19, 2013.
“There are some things you shouldn’t do stoned – Make driving one of them” – a message from South Australia’s Motor Accident Commission to be communicated via viral video that Monkeystack were commissioned to produce by Clemenger Advertising Adelaide.
With over 370k views on YouTube, ‘Pull a Mainy’ is the first in a series of animations aimed at motorists in South Australia, reminding them of the consequences of driving while under the influence of drugs.
Double Happy Vs. the Infinite Sadness is an energetic story driven experience interactively covering PC, iOS and Android, as well as animated short films and a web/social media presence.
The property stars a pair of neo pop edgy cute rabbits called Pink and Blue, as they set out on a quest to vanquish an all consuming entropic force called the Infinite Sadness from their homeland.
As a core component in the launch of Adelaide’s Rundle Mall rebrand developed by Cummins and Partners Advertising, Monkeystack created the Unfold 30 second TVC taking viewers on a tour of some of the mall’s iconic spaces and events.
The animated piece for Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness Australia and Neptune Bio Innovations aims to spread awareness of this problem and promotes the use of their alternative, Heartsalt – a healthier alternative to regular table salt, containing 56 per cent less sodium but maintaining the same taste.
We drew on the golden era of animation from the 1940s and produced Heart A-Salt, a tongue-and-cheek film about the overuse of salt in Australian’s diet. To get the animation style to match the creative vision, the Monkeystack team used a hand drawn, frame by frame process with over 2300 individual drawings produced and hand coloured!
In a bid to move away from the perception that they only work with police officers, Police Credit Union engaged Monkeystack to develop a new mascot for their brand. In the six years since, POCU has surprised his TVC, web and in-branch audience with his unique universe and all that live in it – all the while telling the story of PCU and their excellent financial and insurance services and products.
Marshman Foundation, the research and development arm of Youth Opportunities, is an organisation who works with young people with the goal of empowering them with the tools and skills they need to overcome challenges now and in the future. This animated short film was developed to introduce young people to the Stars and Black Holes narrative. This concept looks at the effects of positive and negative energy and how it affects interactions and attitudes between people.
Bad Everything asked us to produce a live-action and 2D animated TV campaign for their client, Spendless Shoes – and told us to use our imagination!
The brief from the agency was pretty simple.
We’re going to ask a bunch of kids what they want to be when they grow up. We’d like you to capture them telling us this story in front of a green screen then bring their imagination to life using 2D animation for a TV campaign. They also wanted us to produce a range of images that could be used in Print, Digital and Out Of Home to compliment the campaign over the active period of the back to school sales.
Quirky and edgy-cute, this animated short was aimed at the public to encourage them to learn first aid, linking in with World First Aid Day. It was part of a series – Band-Aids Can’t Fix Everything.
The clip has over 122 000 views on YouTube making it the most viewed video on the Australian Red Cross YouTube Channel. It won many awards for our studio and it also became AdWeek’s ‘Ad of the Day’, was featured by Australian Creative, B&T, Campaign Brief amongst others in Australia and raved about by international publications Huffington Post, Little Black Book and Ads of the World.
Monkeystack worked with Defence SA and the Australian Space Agency to create an animated chronicle of Australia’s long association with space and space activities.
The History of Space in Australia takes audiences from the early days of Woomera in 1947 through to our current contributions to space exploration and the global Deep Space Network. Working with archives, libraries, museums, historians, agencies, personal collections and cultural leaders in Australia and internationally to produce the animation which is what we believe the most accurate, animation and video depiction of the topic from an Australian perspective in existence. We commissioned South Australian composer Chris Larkin to create the moving score.
This 9 minute video had its first official premier at the International Astronautical Congress in Washington in October 2019.
Produced for Nickelodeon, Bridget Goddess is about a teenage dung beetle, Bridget, who believes she’s a descendent of Egyptian royalty.
Bridget is infatuated with Emo, a good looking praying mantis, and like many teenage girls, finds her little brother annoying and is embarrassed by her dung beetle father. Bridget’s angst-ridden life is played out on reality television with her and her friends happily talking to the cameras, hoping they will become reality TV stars. Produced with assistance from the South Australian Film Corporation.
Are You Tougher than Your Ancestors? is a fun and immersive living history series that pits the skills of today’s kids against the exploits of children from Australia’s past, to find out how they measure up! Monkeystack was commissioned with Flying Kite Pictures and Sticky Pictures to produce the animations for the entire 10 part series.
The first episode aired on ABC ME in June 2020 and has gone on to win an AEAF Special Merit Award and was awarded the Professional Jury’s 2nd Prize – Best Live Action TV at the 37th Chicago International Children’s Film Festival for the episode “Cameleers- The Original ‘Ghan’ Trains”. This award makes the show eligible for the Oscars!
You can watch the series on ABC iView or purchase episodes from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.