Walsall animator creates advert for Disney's Guardians of the Galaxy toys
A Walsall-born animator has said he is humbled after working with Disney on its latest Guardians of the Galaxy blockbuster.
Drew Roper, 29, from Walsall Wood, and his team at Yaminations, based on the old custard factory estate in Digbeth, Birmingham, worked with Disney and toy maker Hasbro to create an advert for the toys based on the latest Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is in cinemas now.
The advert aired on British television for the first time recently and features the dancing Groot toy.
WATCH the advert here:
Mr Roper said: "I got a call last year asking me if I wanted to work with Disney again. As soon as they said it was to do with Guardians of the Galaxy I said I was in, it is such a huge and successful franchise.
"We were given the concept of what Hasbro and Disney wanted and it was up to us to animate it.
"It is a 30 second advert and it probably took us about three to four weeks to shoot it, which is a really short time frame. Thankfully we have a great team here who were willing to put in the hours and get it done.
"It was really fun to make. We had lots of toys to play with and lots of toys to ruin and break."
Asked about seeing his advert on television for the first time, Mr Roper added: "It is weird to look at your own work on TV because you know how it works. But it is a very nice, lovely feeling and very humbling."
In the past he and his company Yaminations have worked with the likes Coca-Cola and the Roald Dahl foundation.
Mr Roper set up the company in 2009 and was previously based at The Lighthouse in Wolverhampton before moving to Digbeth in 2015. He runs the business and mainly directs, leaving the animation to other members of his team as he 'breaks too many things'.
