Julian Janssen’s Dinosaurs
Clay dinosaurs, a children’s TV star, and a whole lot of enthusiasm from the audience.
Once again, it was our friend and collaborator Andi Meier who opened the door on this one. When he was brought on to design and sculpt clay dinosaurs for the opening sequence of Julian Janssen’s live show, he called on Arne to bring them to life through animation. And honestly — clay dinosaurs? We were in before he finished the sentence.
Who is Julian Janssen?
If you have kids in Germany, there’s a solid chance they’re already big fans. Julian Janssen is known as “Checker Julian” — the popular TV star who has been inspiring young viewers on KiKA and ARD since 2018, making knowledge genuinely fun through his science and curiosity-driven show. Steam He’s the kind of presenter who somehow manages to make kids more excited about learning than about snacks — which, if you’ve ever met a child, is quite the achievement. His live show brings that same energy onto the stage for the whole family.
Dinosaurs, Animated
Andi designed and sculpted a cast of adorable clay dinosaurs for the show’s opening sequence, and Arne animated them frame by frame — giving each little creature its own personality and bounce. The full team for the sequence:
- Compositing & Backgrounds: Richard Raffel
- Character Design & Sculpting: Andi Meier
- Animation: Arne Hain
- Camera: Vincent Engel
We Got to See It Live
Julian was kind enough to invite us to his Munich show — and that part was genuinely something else. Seeing a room full of kids absolutely lose their minds when the animated dinosaurs appeared on screen? That’s the kind of feedback you can’t put a price on. And the dinosaur knowledge those kids had was frankly intimidating.
It’s one of those projects that reminds you why handcrafted animation matters — not because it’s technically impressive, but because it connects. A clay dinosaur wobbling across a screen makes a six-year-old gasp in delight.