PROJECT
graphic animated main title sequence
STREAMER
Amazon
STUDIO
Hello Sunshine
Amazon MGM
Shine designed, illustrated, edited, and animated the main title sequence for Elle, the Prime Video prequel series to the celebrated Legally Blonde films. The sequence tells the story of Elle Woods’ move from sunny Bel-Air to rainy Seattle, where her bright, polished world collides with the flannel, distortion, and grunge culture of the 1990s. Conceived as a fast-moving graphic saga, the title sequence follows Elle’s fish-out-of-water journey through a series of playful visual juxtapositions. Set to Garbage’s “Only Happy When It Rains,” the sequence contrasts Elle’s colorful, optimistic Southern California sensibility with the moody, rain-soaked atmosphere of 1990s Seattle.
Procreate illustrations were created in layers then animated using pins in After Effects.
The circlar collage of historical images animate dimensionally.
The layered Procreate artwork was brought into After Effects, where the team created the sequence’s 2D animation. Individual elements were separated, puppeted, and animated independently, allowing still illustrations to bend, shift, collide, and transform while preserving the handmade quality of the original drawings.
Procreate illustrations were created in layers then animated using pins in After Effects.
The circlar collage of historical images animate dimensionally.
Other illustrated elements were brought into Cinema 4D and rebuilt as dimensional compositions. Individual pieces of artwork were mapped onto separate planes and geometry positioned throughout 3D space, allowing the camera to move through and around the illustrations. In moments such as the animated shoes, the combination of flat artwork and three-dimensional movement transforms graphic illustration into a dynamic spatial collage.
The world of Los Angeles contrasted against the world of Seattle.
Color helped tell the story between the two different places.
Images that represent both places in the 1990s.
Color became a central storytelling device. Elle’s world is represented through a range of vivid pinks, while Seattle is expressed through cool grays, muted blues, layered plaids, distressed textures, and plenty of hoodies. Throughout the sequence, these two contrasting visual languages collide, overlap, and gradually begin to inhabit the same world.
Doc Martens splashing in the water contrastd with Elle's pink heels.
Pink wardrobe is a big part of Elle's visual expression.
This story is a family drama set against the Monsterverse.
The design challenge was to create documentaries that felt historically authentic while maintaining the wit, energy, and pacing of the series itself. Every sequence required extensive visual research, editorial design, animation, and sound synchronization to condense decades—or sometimes centuries—of history into just a few minutes without sacrificing clarity or emotional resonance. The result was a collection of visually sophisticated historical films that balanced educational storytelling with humor, preparing audiences for the satirical sketches that followed.
A few images from season one.
The story unfolded in Tokyo and San Francisco.
Light and shadow was a visual theme in season one.
