Web3 Co Woodies premieres NFT-based ‘The Woodies Origin’ animated short film
Web3 entertainment company Woodies has announced the upcoming debut of its first animated short film based on its Woodies Generative NFT Collection – The Woodies Origin, premiering September 19 on Woodie’s YouTube channel. You can check out the 30-second cutdown teaser below.
Woodies launched in September 2021 with 9,739 Ethereum-based NFTs, which are available on the OpenSea marketplace. Brought to life by the art team, consisting of concepts by Des Lucrece, base design by Jae-838, and styling by artist Gossamer Rozen, each Woodie was randomly generated from a mix of over 900 traits, making each one a unique 1-1 design.
The successful launch saw the collection sell out in 30 minutes, allowing the project to reach its first goal: planting 1,000,000 trees with the non-profit organization Trees for the Future. The project’s donation of 73,824 ETH (worth $217,000 at the time) ranked as one of the top 10 charitable donations from an NFT.
Woodies’ global community includes collectors and contributors with a common mission to experience and preserve nature, a mission shared with Woodies’ developer UltraDAO, a decentralized collective created by artists for artists. The group has identified the need for a Web3 brand to start with a fully developed story and world, followed by additional entertainment content to add value to the project’s story arc.
Expand Web3 Storytelling
The company’s family-friendly NFTs come to life with Woodie’s origin, a 3 minute short the company explains which “reveals Woodie’s” unique and mysterious origin story. The audience meets Arden, the last tree left in a grove after loggers cut down all his tree friends. Aided by a magical protective earth spirit, Merkle, Mother Tree, Arden becomes a Woodie, mobile and free to embark on a search and rescue mission to find his friends and stop the logger.”
“History flows through everything we do,” shared Woodie’s co-founder Richard Powazynski. “Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of communication. As a purpose-led project with an environmental focus, it made sense that Woodies would have a strong story.”
The developers attribute the placement of storytelling at Woodies’ core as an intuitive and effective way to attract highly engaged communities.
“It has played a huge role in building interest in Woodie’s values and mission because people feel deeply connected through their digital ownership of a Woodie’s NFT and fundamentally what it represents,” continued Powazynski. “Now the animated short Woodie’s origin helps us tell our story in a new and exciting way by bringing our beloved characters to life, while allowing a wider audience to be part of the Woodies world.”
“Pixar of Web3”: Expanding Web3 content capabilities
IN Woodie’s origin, the company states that it is banking on its position as a Web3 storyteller, but in the Hollywood Pixar or Disney tradition. Furthermore, the group sees the new film as a representation of how NFT art can be transformed into films that delight and captivate in classic Tinseltown style.
The strategic partnership with visual storytellers Three block gave UltraDAO confidence in the quality of the images produced in the Hollywood-style animation. The process also encouraged Woodblock’s expansion into the Web3 manufacturing world.
Woodie’s origin is the first in a planned series of animated shorts that bring the story of Arden and his friends to life.
Rozen’s (Dr. Martens, Squarespace, Patagonia) art direction, Crystal Schrader’s story director, and a team of digital artists, animators, 3D specialists and Web3 developers drove the creation of The Woodies Origin. In addition, award-winning composer Gareth Coker recorded and recorded the score with a full orchestra.
Woodies work to create an emotional connection with their audience, moving from NFTs to movies and the Metaverse. “With storytelling at its core, we can continuously create new content,” concluded Powazynski. “As we expand the Woodies universe, our community grows with it.”
Source: Woodies
Debbie Diamond Sarto is News Editor at Animation World Network.
