Ever since Bambi’s mum was shot and killed by a deer hunter while trying to help her son find food we’ve been aware of the emotional power of animation. Although techniques have progressed a long way from classical animation, where each frame is drawn by hand, the goal is still the same – storytelling, unbound by time or reality that transcends all age groups and cultures.

More recently we have seen animation used as a tool to talk about bigger issues. Disney’s Zootopia is a thoughtful comment on racism and xenophobia, while Pixar’s most recent film, Finding Dory, helps the audience grasp how terrifying it can be to live with a disability.

Many charities have used animation as a tool to highlight subjects that are difficult or sensitive to talk about. It’s a way of providing anonymity for anyone who might not otherwise be able to share their story.

On many occasions animation has been a catalyst for the brand and film worlds to collide. The idea for the iconic Space Jam movie actually came from a popular 1993 Nike ad, which showed Michael Jordan playing basketball against Marvin the Martian. In 2014 Lego transformed their miniature plastic people into a box office hit. Both films created a huge amount of publicity for the brands and a new revenue stream.

Partnering with an animated character is much like partnering with a celebrity, except there’s less risk of them appearing in the tabloids. Recently Halifax brought Top Cat and the Flintstones out of retirement in a bid to help convince the general public to switch banks. Love or hate the ads, during the period they aired Halifax were topping TNS research stats for ‘Likability’ and ‘Recall’.

Drawing on this emotional power, here are the brands using animation to tell their story.