What if animation could help us reimagine the world, and protect it?

That’s the question we explored at Animated for Impact, our special screening during London Climate Action Week, and what a brilliant evening it was.

Hosted at Coldharbour Blue, a creative space tucked away in Brixton, we brought together a room full of LCAW delegates, filmmakers, creatives, students, brands, media folks, and curious minds to explore animation as a powerful storytelling tool for change. The energy everyone brought into the room was amazing.

We kicked off with an opening led with a short guided visualisation journey to spark our imaginations and set the tone for the evening and for what animation, at its heart, is all about.

Chris, our Creative Director, followed by sharing childhood memories of shows like Bravestarr, where characters gained powers from animals and the impact it left on him. It was the perfect segue into introducing how animation helps us tell stories about nature, climate, and transformation.

The short films we curated and screened were emotional, entertaining, engaging, and beautifully crafted; from the story of Rang-tan to humorous takes on the quiet destruction in our daily actions. Each story was a reminder of what animation can do: make us feel, see differently, and imagine new possibilities.

Throughout the night, a few reflections kept coming up on why animation is such a powerful tool for impact:

It brings nature to life
It gives nature a voice
It helps us imagine the future
And it simplifies complexity

These are themes we’ll explore more deeply in a follow-up article. But it’s clear: animation helps us see the invisible, feel the urgency, and care more deeply.

Audience’s pick: Rang-tan, the story of dirty palm oil

Client: Greenpeace / Agency: Mother / Direction: Salon Alpin / Production: Passion Pictures

Beep starring Ambika Mod

Client: Make Money Matter / Agency: Mother / Director: Ben Strebel / Production: Biscuit Filmworks

So what can creatives do?

Our friends Jorik Dozy and Sil Van Woerd from the impact-driven creative studio Studio Birthplace shared how they use animation to craft compelling narratives, turning complex data, like what millions of tonnes of plastic actually means, into powerful films like Wasteminster. The film visualised the immense scale of the UK’s daily plastic exports and helped shift public perception and push policymakers to act.

Wasteminster

Client: Greenpeace / Direction: Sil van der Woerd, Jorik Dozy / Production: Studio Birthplace

We wrapped the evening with a conversation between Jorik, Sil, and Russell Harvey from Greenpeace International, moderated by Chris. They offered powerful insights into crafting visual narratives that create movements and reminded us that creativity, when paired with purpose, can become a powerful tool for change.

As Russell put it:

“Movements need creatives.”

Even with limited budgets, organisations like Greenpeace are always looking for fresh, impactful ways to communicate. So if you’re a creative who wants to create something meaningful, pitch, reach out, collaborate.

This evening was more than just a screening. The feedback from the audience showed us there’s a need for more of these kinds of stories.

“I was blown away by this fantastic event.”
“Such a great curation, the films really stayed with me.”

— Audience Feedback

It was a reminder of the role storytelling and creativity can play in addressing the climate crisis and our disconnection from nature. There is so much opportunity, and even more need, for creative minds to come together to reshape the narrative of our time.

To everyone who came, thank you for showing up with your hearts open.
There will be more to come.

With love,
Yanyie & the RAN Collectives team

The Animated For Impact team: Russell, Sil, Jorik, Chris, Teresa, Yanyie & Alea