Lapland has been a regular client for TIG over the last few years, and as a team we’ve had the chance to work on most of their animations. Rather than a single project, this page brings together a collection of work we’ve produced. Across them all, you’ll notice the same themes tying everything together: a blend of immersive 3D worlds with hand-drawn 2D characters.
Lapland Animations
Client:
Lapland UK
Director:
Oliver Lister
3D & Cel Animation:
Warren Bluck
2D Animation, Compositing & Particles:
Oliver Lister & Warren Bluck
Sound Design:
Sound Mix Post
Character Design & CEL Animation
Characters are at the heart of Lapland, each with their own distinct personality. My role was to capture this in the design, drawing heavily from the original hand-drawn coloured pencil sketches that give Lapland its nostalgic Christmas feel. Staying true to that charm while translating it into animation was a key part of the process.
For the first time in my career, I also tried my hand at cel animation. It was a steep learning curve, but I was pleasantly surprised by the results. With more time I would have refined the finer details further, but even so, it was a rewarding experiment that added new depth to the characters.
3D Modelling and Scene Design
Alongside character work, I developed all of the 3D scene artwork for the animations. This involved everything from modelling and texturing to lighting, rendering, and even some tricky camera-move matching to align the 3D environments with hand-drawn cel frames. Managing the entire workflow meant balancing technical demands with creative choices, all while keeping a close eye on time management.
Lapland really stretched my abilities and pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I often found myself learning complex processes on the fly while still making confident creative decisions about the final look and feel. It’s been one of those rare projects that’s as challenging as it is rewarding—and I’m proud of how the work has grown year after year.
