Celebrating the US release of the anime movie Suzume, Pollution partnered with Crunchyroll and mural artist Kristine Campbell to recreate a real-life version of the film’s iconic door opening up into a magical universe. Reflecting on what the project meant to her, Kristine said:

“This project reaffirmed for me that growth as an artist requires me to continue stepping outside my comfort zone, taking risks, and embracing the unknown. It also reinforced the importance of perseverance and adaptability when doing so. Overall this project really pushed me to expand my artistic horizons and hopefully set the stage for even more exciting creative endeavors in the future. I’m also extremely grateful for the trust and unwavering support Asher and his team had in me to see this through and for making it such a fun and memorable experience.”

The project was not without challenges, of course. Kristine had only a few days to transform the blank wall and door into the incredibly detailed moment from the film.

“The installation process itself was physically and mentally demanding on top of the time limitations. While there were a few technical challenges, unexpected setbacks, and on-the-spot creative decisions, it helped immensely having the production team there to assist with many of these obstacles. Like with every project, getting through those moments ultimately helped me gain a deeper understanding of my own artistic process and a renewed sense of self-confidence.”

Our camera team captured the entire process from start to finish. In response to what it felt like to see her work on film, Kristine described the experience as “unreal.”

“I already get lost in my work/world when painting, and those four days felt even more surreal due to the time constraints. It was really special to be able to reflect on all the stages of it coming together and to see the process captured so beautifully.”

We later welcomed Makoto Shinkai, the director of Suzume, into our studio to film and photograph promotional content with the mural as a backdrop and also sent a camera team to capture the film’s star-studded premiere. When asked about the experience of collaborating with Shinkai by recreating his work in a different medium, Kristine responded:

“This was such a tremendous honor. He truly is a visionary in every sense of the word. The film and original artwork were so beautifully and thoughtfully created that naturally, it also came with a tremendous amount of pressure to replicate. I recently saw the video of his reaction to [the mural] and it made me really happy.”

Kristine’s stunning mural is now permanently housed in Crunchyroll’s San Francisco offices, and you can watch the video of its creation above.