Aardman makes an animated film about autism

Award-winning independent studio Aardman has partnered with the Scottish Government and The Leith Agency to create an animated autism awareness film (Different Minds). The Scottish Government's outreach program highlights the stigma and discrimination that autistic people face.

The creative campaign was developed to provide a clearer understanding of autism to the non-autistic population, and Aardman was tasked with creating a film that could grab attention and help share this complex message with audiences.

"It is a real privilege to be able to spend our time making films, especially for a project that seeks to encourage empathy, kindness and understanding for a group whose experience of the world may be slightly different from ours," said Daniel. Binns, director of Aardman. "From a creative standpoint it was a really fun challenge trying to do that experience justice and, despite the upcoming block, it was a rewarding project that I am proud to have been a part of."

David Amers, Director of Planning at The Leith Agency, added: “This is a very important campaign, a Leith is very proud to have created, working closely with our customers and Scottish Government stakeholders. It aims to deepen the public's understanding and acceptance of autism in Scotland and to challenge false beliefs. In doing so, it is a big step towards fighting the stigma and discrimination that autistic people can experience ”.

The three-part campaign launched in October includes advertising on TV, radio, outdoor posters and digital media channels and was developed to communicate key messages and dispel some myths about autism. Key messages include the fact that at least one in 100 people in Scotland are autistic, meaning their brains simply work differently, affecting how they experience the world around them (both positively and negatively) and every autistic person is unique. The Different Minds campaign also seeks to correct the misinformation that autism is caused by vaccines, or that it is (or even that should be) treatable.

“At the heart of the campaign is a desire to address the stigma and myths surrounding autism and to help people have a better understanding of autism,” explained Claire Prentice, Head of Safer Marketing for the Scottish Government. . “Aardman understood our vision from the start and worked closely with us throughout to create an animated film that beautifully captures what the life of an autistic mind is like. We are really excited about the end result and are confident that it will have an important role to play in raising awareness and understanding of autism in Scotland. ”