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Project Name
Client Name
Year Delivered
Creative Provided
St. Louis Aquarium
LHM
2019
Character Design
Modeling
Texture
VFX
Rigging
Animation
Brief
Inside the historic St. Louis Union Station you’ll find this one-of-a-kind aquarium, featuring several interactive exhibits and media attractions designed and handcrafted by the imaginative artists and technical magicians of Moondog Animation Studio
Related Projects
The Setting
St. Louis Union Station is a 125 year old train station that served as the key hub of transportation as early Americans ventured from the East to the booming West. This site and the surrounding city has a deep history in American society, culture, and transportation. Elements of this historical significance and train station themed elements can be found throughout the aquarium, including within Moondog’s digital exhibits
Project Overview
AQUARIUM MASCOTS
Creative Provided
Project Media
Character Design
Modeling
Texture
VFX
Rigging
Concept
We created a cast of Animal Ambassadors designed to educate and entertain guests at the St. Louis Aquarium.
OTTER TALK
Creative Provided
Character Design
Experience Design
Creative Direction
Asset Creation
Theming Design
Interactive Development
Content Creation
Concept
Have a chat with Tom the Otter in this live digital character show, learning about the North American River Otter and the surrounding environment.
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Behind the scenes an actor uses a virtual puppeteering interface to bring life to the digital character and engage with guests of all ages.
The performer is located in a separate room, utilizing a custom designed performance capture and show control system which uses a combination of facial tracking, Valve Index VR hand controllers, and software purpose-built for the experience, allowing the performer to engage with audience members in a natural, intuitive way.
Project Media
FISH DRAW
Creative Provided
Experience Design
Creative Direction
Technology Design
Audiovisual Design
Engineering
Procurement
Installation
Theming Design
Interactive Development
Content Creation
Concept
The Fish Draw sponsored by Tetra is a popular destination for Aquarium guests both young and young-at-heart. Guest can add their flair to one of the fish coloring sheets, scan it in, and watch it swim in a virtual Mississippi River!
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This interactive experience is located in the Conservation and Education Center of the St. Louis Aquarium which is comprised of interactive science-based exhibits on the topics of water conservation, our local waterways, and the effects of plastic on our rivers and oceans.
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This exhibit has recently been featured on the front page of Reddit, has over 2 million views on TikTok, and over 6 million views on Facebook.
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Project Media
AUGMENTED REALITY SANDBOX
Creative Provided
Experience Design
Creative Direction
Technology Design
Audiovisual Design
Engineering
Procurement
Installation
Theming Design
Interactive Development
Content Creation
Concept
Guests are invited to transform the terrain in this interactive sandbox.
The animated wall mural is updated in realtime, driven by changes in the surrounding sand.