Animated series makes difficult technical concepts easy to understand

Microsoft’s Story Labs has delivered a series of short animated videos—cartoons, essentially—that break down the biggest tech trends of the day to help people grasp them. These videos, dubbed “Explanimators,” have won first place in the “Content Series” category of PR Daily’s 2018 Content Marketing Awards.

The “Explanimators” have been viewed more than 1.4 million times, helping Microsoft establish the context for more complicated content, news and announcements as the company begins to offer products and services based on these technologies. The short animated videos are produced in partnership with Sundance-nominated animator Drew Christie and his Kalakala Studios, helping Microsoft be sure the messages would resonate beyond insiders who already comprehend these convoluted topics.

The videos not only help explain concepts, they introduce viewers to technologies that are new to them, like “Intelligent Edge” and “Cobotics” (collaborative robots). The series also covers blockchain, quantum computing, Mixed Reality and the Internet of Things. With eight videos in the bag so far, we’re eager to see more.