American Library Association

2019 Banned Books

For the second straight year, The American Library Association wanted to bring their annual Most Banned Books list to life with a compelling animated video. They wanted to emphasize how censorship leaves us in the dark, and that only through confronting challenging ideas can we shine a light on some of the most important voices out there today.

Using detailed character design and animation, Cubicle Ninjas was able to bring every book on the list to life, showcasing people interacting with these important works and illustrating how they bring more clarity and insight to the world.

The American Library Association was able to promote its Banned Books list to a much wider audience by pairing it with a highly entertaining and shareable video.

Frame 1
Action

Opening on book cover of poster design for this year’s banned book theme. Book opens and lays down on surface.

Frame 2
Action

Compass pops out of book and hovers above the spread of open pages.

Dialogue

Literature helps us navigate

Frame 3
Action

Compass fades into the Earth. Light bulb rises from behind the surface, challenging topic flags start appearing on Earth.

Dialogue

the world by shining a light on challenging

Frame 4
Action

Challenging and uncomfortable topic flags populate the Earth.

Dialogue

and uncomfortable topics.

Frame 5
Action

Screen immediately goes dark upon starting the dialogue in this frame. Words appear instantaneously on screen.

Dialogue

Censorship leaves us in the dark.

Frame 6
Action

Screen immediately goes dark upon starting the dialogue in this frame. Words appear instantaneously on screen.

Dialogue

Censorship leaves us in the dark.