Pole Dancing With Carl Jung

The brief

When Zalak was invited to share her story as a TEDx speaker, she approached Superdoodle to create an animation that would bring her message to life on stage.

With just 20 days to deliver a 90-second animation, we were on a tight schedule - but we love a challenge, and Zalak’s excitement and enthusiasm was contagious!

Her aim was to create a short film that could shift audience consciousness - taking complex psychological ideas and presenting them in a way that was accessible, engaging, and visually memorable.

The idea

Zalak’s story is deeply personal, so she needed to be at the heart of the film. We started by exploring character sketches, and had fun with a ‘pick and mix’ session, combining elements from different designs to land on a version that felt true to her presence. Careful thought went into her outfit and colours, especially as the film would be shown on a dark stage background.

To keep the audience engaged and support the rhythm of her talk, we structured the animation in short ‘chapters’, to break apart the speech and highlight important points.

A key part of our job was showing not just what Zalak had been through, but how her relationship with her thoughts and beliefs had shifted. The animated character needed to do more than recount a backstory - she had to observe, challenge, and rewire her internal dialogue, so that something new could emerge externally - something else she could reach for.