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Top 5 Animated Explainer Videos

Next Day Animations is a video production firm that works with you to distill the emotional core of your story. We make smart, engaging animations that convey complex ideas quickly. Curious to learn more? Here’s an explainer video about our philosophy.

We’ve made hundreds of animations for organizations ranging from major motion picture companies to palaces made of corn. And we want to share the knowledge we’ve gained while making all those videos! So without further ado, check out our take on some of our favorite explainer videos…

1. The Neuroscience of Whiteboard Animation

At their best, explainer videos are tools for conveying the technical, dense, and crucially important information that surrounds us. So this video, which connects scientific studies of learning to their practical, daily applications, fits the bill precisely. And we love drawings of treasure chests and crystal balls.

2. The Green New Deal

Ingenious! What do we love about this? The script rocks. It’s set in the future, using our imagination as a tool for explaining the conundrum of the present. If that weren’t enough, it features beautiful watercolors by Molly Crabapple. I would say this video is on fire, but I don’t want any of these hopes to go up in flames.

3. Spotify

No voice over necessary! Matching medium to message, Spotify uses the core of their business to connect to viewers’ emotions: Music. We love this because it also serves as a great example of how to do video in a way that translates well to social media.

4.) Air New Zealand

Airline safety videos deserve a category of their own in the explainer video industry. In the past five years, they’ve successfully bridged the divide between how-to and entertainment. And this video is one of our favorite examples. Humor rules! We love the coy Elijah Wood cameo and the stunning cinematography. If only the fellowship had a how-to video for safely traversing the Misty Mountains.


5. Save the Boundary Waters
This video evokes the emotional story of a threat to a beloved wilderness area. Within one month of being posted, the video had been viewed over 80K times (as well as shown hundreds more times at the Minnesota State Fair). We love how it uses the sounds and images of native wildlife to connect to the viewer.

Notice anything that these explainer videos have in common?

  • Inventive scripts that evoke emotion.
  • Short playtime with succinct messages.
  • Stunning visuals.
  • Playfulness and a dash of humor.

Maybe you’re thinking of starting an animated explainer video project? Check out our guide to creating a persuasive video or give us a call to talk through some ideas: (202) 747-0404.