Metrie Complete
Character animation for Metrie Complete, bringing Crumpled Pete, a very anxious ball of blue painter’s tape, to life in the campaign’s TV spot.
Say Goodbye to Messy Painting with Pete & Metrie Complete
Metrie introduced Metrie Complete, a line of prefinished interior moulding designed to eliminate the extra painting and taping that comes with traditional millwork. Wray Ward built the campaign around Crumpled Pete, a nervous ball of blue painter’s tape suddenly facing a world where builders and homeowners might not need him anymore.
I worked with Wray Ward to turn Pete from a series of illustrated poses into a character that could actually perform. I developed the character rig and 2D animation for the campaign’s TV spot, giving Pete enough expression, movement, and personality to play naturally alongside the live-action footage.
CLIENT
Metrie
AGENCY
Wray Ward
STUDIO
Weirdo Works
YEAR
2024
MY ROLE
Character Animation, Character Rigging
MASCOT DESIGN / ILLUSTRATION
Ida Osterman
MOTION EDITOR & ANIMATOR
Kyra Arendt
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Lewis Dameron
DELIVERABLES
2D Character Animation, Character Rig, Long-Form Video, Animated GIFs
Metrie | Long-form Video Ad
Metrie’s Prefinished Moulding to the Rescue
Save the Tape. Pete will Thank You.
The main campaign spot puts Pete through a small existential crisis. He arrives at a job site horrified by piles of discarded painter’s tape, only to discover that Metrie Complete comes prefinished and doesn’t need him in the first place.
I animated Pete’s performance around that realization, using his expressions, poses, and body language to carry the joke without losing the simplicity of the original illustration style. The finished character was composited into live-action footage, giving the campaign a cartoon personality without making Pete feel disconnected from the real environment around him.
Metrie | Mascot Animated GIF
Bringing Thrills From Stills
Put Your Mascot in Motion
Wray Ward had already developed Pete across a range of illustrated poses and expressions, but animation required something more flexible. I pulled elements from those existing drawings into a reusable character rig, standardizing the pieces without sanding away the loose, retro quality that made the illustrations appealing.
I also added just enough depth and dimensional movement to help Pete sit naturally inside live-action footage. The goal wasn’t to turn him into a slick 3D character. It was to preserve the hand-drawn mascot style while giving him enough range to walk, react, panic, celebrate, and keep showing up in new campaign pieces.
