Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn’s Monkey covers Olympics for the BBC

Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn, whose Monkey : Journey to the West was previously posted, have adapted their characters for BBC Sport for their Olympics coverage.

As with their show, the use of Monkey and co is based upon the traditional Chinese folklore tale, Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en, and in a trailer, Monkey and the inimitable Pigsy make their way on a Journey to the East, ultimately to the bird’s nest-like National Stadium in Beijing.

The lavish two-minute trailer apparently took twelve weeks to complete, using the team of four senior key animators and five animation assistants, and the track features traditional Chinese instruments (such as the Pipa, Ur Hu and Zheng) and etheral vocals from singer Jia Ruhan.

With a slight reference to Chinese culture, pairing Monkey with the Olympics for me, adds a bit of colour and fun to the BBC. I’m a fan of Hewlett’s style, and if you check out the site, there are downloadables for your phone and a desktop widget to stay up to date with the news from five chosen Olympic sports.

See more on the BBC’s Monkey Olympics website

From Creative Review

Technorati Tags: BBC Sport, Beijing, China, Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett, MONKEY KING, Monkey: Journey To the West, Olympics coverage