In 2018, Walmart sought a distinctive way to showcase its website and content at their annual shareholders meeting. The company aimed to provide shareholders with an interactive tour of the website during their largest annual event, moving beyond traditional presentation methods. Walmart looked to Creative Filter to create a captivating presentation that would engage shareholders while simultaneously highlighting the updated website’s features and offerings effectively.

One of Creative Filter’s greatest strengths? Imaginative digital storytelling. And the ideas started flying immediately. Inspired by Xbox Live avatars, Creative Filter proposed the ultimate creative solution: developing an animated version of CEO Marc Lore to guide viewers within the website instead of pointing to it. The best part? Marc’s presentation was a hybrid of on-stage delivery synced with on-screen animation.

The process began with storyboarding and crafting a script and visual roadmap, guiding the development of the animation and ensuring alignment with Walmart’s objectives and vision for the presentation.

Drawing from the script, the team developed the character and animated each scene, painstakingly bringing the concept to life one frame at a time. 

Rather than replicating the website exactly, Creative  rebuilt the pages for animation, ensuring seamless integration with the character’s journey.

The use of live green screen on stage was considered, but ultimately the team opted for animation, recognizing its ability to provide greater flexibility and creative control over the content and presentation.

Throughout the production process, the team prioritized collaboration and refinement, working out the majority of the design revisions in the animatic phase before proceeding to final animation.

The culmination of Creative Filter’s efforts was a three minute video showcased at Walmart’s 2018 Annual Shareholders Meeting. The content captured the attention of the audience and allowed for active engagement with the animated character and journey through the website. 

This approach succeeded in injecting personality and interactivity into the presentation, creating a memorable moment for shareholders!

“Character animation is my passion, so any time I get to do character animation is really exciting. Sometimes in corporate projects, they don’t always allow for that level of creativity and abstraction, but when given the opportunity, it’s truly fulfilling.” – Eric Lee, Animation Director