A WWF climate short film

WWF's Arctic Program has launched a global campaign to remind world leaders that "once the Arctic ice melts, we can't get it back." Released in conjunction with the United Nations COP26 climate change conference, the message is brought home in a groundbreaking stop-motion animated short film conceived and produced by London-based NOMINT that uses real ice to tell the story of habitat that is disappearing.

The campaign, “Can't Negotiate the Melting Point of Ice,” follows the story of a young polar bear struggling to survive in the increasingly melting Arctic environment. NOMINT used the natural melting properties of ice to create a direct visual metaphor between the real Arctic and the animated environment. In the film, as in life, Arctic sea ice is melting rapidly, "forever changing Arctic ecosystems, wreaking havoc across the planet" - a stark reminder to world leaders of the need to act now.

NOMINT used an innovative combination of 3D printing, mold making and ice sculpting to create 500 unique polar bear ice sculptures which were then used to create stop-motion animation. More than 1.000 liters of ice were used to create the polar bear sculptures and environment. The film, which took a year to produce, was directed by NOMINT co-founder Yannis Konstantinidis in collaboration with motion designers Marcos Savignano and Jua Braga, with music by Ted Regklis.

“Animations are powerful tools for telling emotional stories in a simple and effective way. So when NOMINT told us about this new animation technique that uses melting ice, we were intrigued, ”said Andrea Norgen, Senior Communication Manager for WWF's Arctic program. "The climate crisis and the devastating effects it has on the Arctic and the rest of the world are not new, but this way of communicating the urgency of world leaders to limit global warming to 1,5 ° C is."

Konstantinidis commented: “This was by far the most challenging project we have ever worked on, both emotionally and technically. Part of the appeal of the concept was that we would use the natural melting properties of ice to create a direct metaphor for the Arctic problem. We completely underestimated the fact that once the ice begins to melt you have no control over it, making it nearly impossible to create a stop-motion film of this size, which is notoriously time consuming between each shot. It was particularly difficult emotionally, as with each melted sculpture and ruined shot, we were reminded of the devastating problem involved and how easy it was to underestimate it.

WWF has had an Arctic-focused program since 1992. WWF's Arctic Program is the only circumpolar environmental NGO with observer status on the Arctic Council. WWF's work spans seven Arctic countries and beyond. arcticwwf.org

NOMINT is an award-winning animation production company based in London, UK. NOMINT represents some of the most unique directors and animation collectives from around the world. www.nomin.com