It’s a Small World: Anthony Farquhar-Smith & Not To Scale Make the Case for Peanuts

Not To Scale director Anthony Farquhar-Smith invests his many stop-motion talents into building a Lilliputian world of peanut-obsessed characters for National Peanut Board thru agency Special USA.

Anthony Farquhar-Smith: “Our decision to base the production around real peanuts and food meant our characters would only be one and a half inches tall. So all 800 figures were first modeled in CG and then 3D-printed.
 

“Our decision to base the production around real peanuts and food meant our characters would only be one and a half inches tall.”

 
“Our model makers did some testing with their 3D printers and found that even at this scale, each figure had a great amount of detail and definition. All the figures then had to be painted by hand, skillfully undertaken by the team at Yamination.

“Once back in the studio, the challenge was mainly for the camera department, as filming things this small requires specialist lenses – there was often less than an inch between the lens and the figure. And this of course made it very fiddly for the animators too.”
 

Images

 
A small figurine of a man in red swim trunks stands with arms outstretched on a diving board attached to a large stalk of celery, against a green background—definitely not to scale. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

Miniature figures dance around a peanut bar stage, with a tiny DJ and speakers on top, set against a teal background—an imaginative scene inspired by Anthony Farquhar-Smith's playful use of peanuts and nuts. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

A figurine with a white mouse-like helmet and a white shirt stands behind a DJ table, appearing to mix music, against a green background—reminiscent of Anthony Farquhar-Smith’s playful style in films like Peanuts. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

Two miniature figurines in climbing gear appear to scale the surface of a large peanut shell against a green background, cleverly creating the illusion of rock climbing on peanuts—a whimsical scene reminiscent of Anthony Farquhar-Smith’s playful style. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

Five miniature figurines climb and cheer around a large peanut shell against a solid green background, with one figure celebrating on top—an imaginative scene inspired by Anthony Farquhar-Smith and his playful take on peanuts. Frame from Stash Magazine article.
 

Credits

 
Client: National Peanut Board

Agency: Special USA
ECD: Estefanio Holtz, Kasia Canning
CD: Rodrigo Burdman
EP: Regan Wallace
Senior Producer: Hayley Danke
Head of Design: Anne Nunez
President Special NY: Shannon Nunn

Production: Not To Scale
Director: Anthony Farquhar-Smith
Founder/EP: Dan O’Rourke
US EP: Dan Sormani
Producer: Edward Tull
Production Manager: Marie Jordan
DOP: Simon Paul
1st Ac: Toby Goodyear
Motion Control Op: Max Halstead
Gaffer: Robin Brigham
Electrician: Tim O’Connell
Sparks: Wayne King, Andrew Purdy
Stop Motion Animator: Tom Edgar, Max Martin, Anthony Farquhar-Smith
Stop Motion Rigger: Andrew Spradberry
Art Department Supervisor/Set Dresser: Anastasia Papadopoulou
Production Runner: Edward Lloyd
Food Stylist: John Bentham
Assistant Food Stylist: Tanya Skillen
BTS videographer: Joseph Eckworth

Production Design: Yamination
Art Director: Drew Roper
Producer: Juliet Carmen Teksnes
Lead Model Maker: Fung Ye Tsang
Senior Model Maker Set Dresser: Anastasia Papadopoulou
Model Makers: Virginia Fuente Rodriguez, Hannah Phillips
Painters: Carla Horton, Chloe North, Eleanor Barber, Florence Clapcott
3D Print Supervisor: Michael Price
3D Print Team: Surinder Singh, Jonathan Garvey, Jack Strood
Set Builder: Tommy Grainger
Art Department Work Experience: Tilly Horton
Character Designer: Kristian Antoinelli
Storyboard Artist: Tim Dilnutt, Luca Schenato
CG Lead/Modeller: Stefan Brown
Rigging: Julen Armendariz
Modeler: Fali Rakotoson
Animator: Sandra Guarda, Stuart Doig
Compositor: Peque Varela, Corinne Ladeinde
Retoucher: Ian Baker

Shot At: Clapham Road Studios

Edit: Scott Devenport

Grade: Freefolk
Colorist: Duncan Russell

Music/Sound Design: Yessian
Composer: Chris Rizzo
Mix/Sound design: Jacob Wolf
Studio Assistant: Sydney Warren
EP: Chris Heidman
Producer: Lars Macky, Jon Mackey
HOP: Michael Yessian
CCO: Brian Yessian