Danny Sangra’s agent orange

Written and directed by Danny Sangra, this witty short film gives a rare insight into the existential ennui of an animated character in a TVC. 

In this case, it’s a piece of fruit who is struggling to retain a sense of purpose while appearing in a campaign for a kids' drink Donny's Orange. 

Remonstrated by the client/director for confusing the colour orange with the chief ingredient in the drink – the orange questions her motivation for doing the ad, particularly since she has magical powers. But then her mate, the rainy cloud, reminds her of the cool things she is buying with her earnings. But will the joys of bling persist? 

Sangra comments: “The concept was one of those I knew everyone in the commercial industry could understand. I do think we get too wrapped up in the industry side of things and forget we can all be creative and have fun with it. Whenever I have done talks or spoken to students, I remind them to never forget why they started to draw or make things. It's free and it's expressive. You made things as a child simply because you were exploring and it made you happy.”

Voiced by Zosia Mamet, Mary Ellen Lea and Evan Jonigkeit, the characters were recorded during lockdown. “I sat on the audio for a couple of years until I began animating,” Danny explains. “However, I couldn't find the right voice for the cloud [at first] so I left it another year. I'm really particular about voices. In all my work I go for distinct voices and speech patterns/flows.”