Life in a thousand papers

The ask.

Smart Onion is a secure digital vault designed to simplify life admin and bring peace of mind by storing essential personal documents in one accessible place. But it’s more than just a tool; it’s about emotional reassurance, helping people feel in control, especially during life’s most difficult moments.

To introduce their offering, Smart Onion wanted an animated film that would resonate deeply with viewers. The goal wasn’t just to explain a product. It was to tell a story that felt personal, warm, and utterly relatable. 

The answer.

We knew this needed to be more than a traditional explainer. To hit the emotional tone Smart Onion envisioned, we crafted an animated concept called "Life in a Thousand Papers." This visually metaphorical journey brings to life the stress and confusion of scattered, disorganised paperwork, transforming into a calming sense of order and clarity.

From the outset, BearJam handled everything in-house, from scripting and storyboarding through to animation, sound design and final voiceover. Trey led the creative direction, bringing a clear vision and emotive sensibility that helped shape every stage of the production.

We open on a cluttered filing cabinet bursting with papers: bank statements, bills, legal letters, all flying chaotically through homes, offices, and life’s key moments. We pass windows showing families dealing with illness, elderly loved ones sorting through drawers - real human moments made all the more stressful by paperwork gone awry.

Then comes the shift. Documents begin to streamline, drawn to a soft blue glow that signals the Smart Onion interface. The once-chaotic paperwork now flows with grace, seamlessly integrating into a glowing digital vault. The final aerial view shows homes across a city, each with a faint Smart Onion glow, where calm has been restored and chaos resolved.

The narration, delivered with warmth and sincerity, guides the viewer through this transformation. Paired with rich sound design and fluid, kinetic animation, the result is a film that connects. Not just in explaining what Smart Onion is, but in making the viewer feel why it matters.