BTS of Le Zoo’s Teaser: How We Made a Trippy Journey Within

Hey, it’s me, Kelsey, one of the founders of MOTHER. I’ve been wanting to pull back the curtain and share more with you. Today, I want to take you behind the scenes of how we made our teaser — set to debut January 29, 2025.

Let me tell you, making a teaser for a game that’s equal parts trippy self-discovery and surreal exploration? Not your average day at the office. But this wasn’t just about making something with high production value—we wanted the teaser to capture the heart of Le Zoo: “The only way out is within.”

Remember: at its core, Le Zoo is a mobile MMORPG platform with emergent mechanics, AI-enabled NPCs, and RPG mission-driven progression. You’ll see all this plus some sneak peeks of mini games within the teaser.

From Script to Live Action & Animation: Building the Journey

The journey started with writing the script and creating a storyboard. Dina Amer and I wanted to create a story that starts grounded in everyday chaos—texts about rent, hiding out from life at your local spot, and a TV blaring UFO hysteria.

We wanted to showcase what life looks like when you are checked out and in your own world — not even seeing your own reflection. Then the whole scene shifts into something wild and introspective as she is transported into the world of Le Zoo— like going through a portal… encountering a new part of yourself. We started by storyboarding to add visuals to the vision.

The script evolved through iteration. We’d ask ourselves questions like: “How do we show self-discovery in a way that’s funny, surreal, and relatable?” and “How do we transition from live action to full-blown psychedelic animation?” It was like pulling apart a dream and stitching it back together.

Assembling the Dream Team

The teaser wouldn’t exist without the incredible team behind it.

We found our producer, Will Perls, who had the magical ability to bring the right people together. He connected us with Giacomo Mora, a Disney veteran (Moana 2, Super Mario Bros. Movie) who became our animation supervisor. And Christof, our Chief Creative Engineer immediately suggested we stay true to our in-game art style and render the entire teaser using Unity, which—spoiler alert—wasn’t exactly easy.

Creative Direction: Setting the Scene

The creative direction for the live-action shoot was all about creating a world that felt grounded yet slightly surreal. We started by building a moodboard to lock in the diner’s nostalgic vibe and the chaotic energy of a local news broadcast. From there, we sourced props from a local prop house—think vintage coffee mugs, classic diner plates, and old-school napkin dispensers. Styling the diner and actors was all about leaning into everyday realism, with just a hint of whimsy. For the anchor scene, we transformed our Brooklyn studio into a local news-style newsroom, complete with a green screen, a makeshift desk, and carefully placed props to mimic the low-budget, over-the-top charm of local TV news. Every detail was intentional, designed to create an immersive opening that set the stage for the trippy journey into Le Zoo.

Shooting the Live-Action: Pancakes, Steadycams, and Teamwork

Let’s talk about the live-action shoot—because it was such a vibe. We found this cozy little spot called Delight Diner in Ridgewood, Queens, owned by two brothers. It also happens to be one of our Director of Photography, Joe Cavallini’s, favorite places. The diner was the perfect mix of charming and cinematic, with that slightly nostalgic feel that makes you want to order pancakes and sit there all day.

Most of the live-action scenes take place inside the diner. We shot everything with a steadycam to create smooth, immersive movement. The day before the shoot, we ran a dry rehearsal, marking key shots and planning our movements so that we could keep takes to a minimum and work efficiently. That prep was a lifesaver—it meant less stress on shoot day and more time for creative magic.

One of my favorite moments? Simulating the hysterical news anchor’s broadcast. We recorded Anthony “AP” Peterson's voice the night before and played it over a loudspeaker during the shoot so that the actors in the diner could react naturally. It felt chaotic and hilarious in all the right ways.

After wrapping up at the diner, the team headed over to our studio in Brooklyn to shoot AP’s green screen footage for the anchor scene. Watching him deliver those lines with such over-the-top energy made the whole room crack up—it was the perfect way to end the shoot. I actually had to excuse myself from set because it just was too funny.

We finished early that day (which never happens!) because the whole team was so locked in. It was such a reminder of how much creativity thrives when everyone’s on the same wavelength. The collaboration, planning, and good vibes made it one of those rare, perfect shoot days.

From live action to animation: Rendering in Unity & Why We Chose the Hard Path

We wanted to really create the link between relatable situations that many of us are familiar with in daily life and the surreal world of going to a wild alternate reality called Le Zoo.

Many game companies create teasers with bespoke animation pipelines just for marketing OR they edit together a string of recorded gameplay sequences, but we wanted something authentic to the story of our game, clear visuals of characters you will encounter in Le Zoo, a peek at our mini-game library, and high production value to truly tell the ethos of Le Zoo — a game about self discovery.

We rendered the entire teaser using our actual in-game production art in Unity. Why? Because we wanted to show that what you see in the teaser is what you’ll experience in the game.

But, wow, this decision came with challenges. For starters, porting teaser-specific animations from Maya into Unity felt like untangling wires in a dark room—different Cartesian coordinate systems turned everything into a puzzle. But Giacomo and Christof made it work. And when we saw the first renders, we knew it was worth it.

In the final week of rendering, Christof and I sat on day-long zoom calls to co-create each scene and ensure lighting, shaders, and VFX were true to the game experience. We tapped Michi Brandstetter for some minigame gameplay sequences, and brought those into the animated portion of the teaser.

The teaser leans heavily into the game atmosphere and Le Zoo’s self-discovery story-arc – which is the core message of the game. In the teaser you’ll also see Maxine (the main Zoot) encounter various characters along her mission progression, as well as snapshots of a few mini-games, such as Changing faces (match 3), X1 (vertical space shooter), Freeloader (turn-based PVP), and Cosmos (audio surfer).

Sound Design: The Final Touch

Once the visuals were locked, we dove into audio.

The voiceovers had to balance humor and introspection, just like the game itself. Meanwhile, Brian Alcazar and the editor Doug Mcintosh worked on sound design, layering real-world diner sounds with punchy audio for the animated sequences.

It all came together to create a sensory journey that mirrors the gameplay experience: grounded yet surreal, chaotic yet freeing.

Themes in the Teaser

The teaser is more than a way for us to get the word out and showcase the game —it’s a reflection of what Le Zoo is all about:

• Self Discovery: Meeting an “alien” or alternate version of yourself is a perfect metaphor for self-discovery. It’s weird but ultimately transformative.
• Modern Disconnection: The live-action opening highlights how easy it is to stay distracted by the noise of life but how sometimes life transports unto a new reality where we truly can explore.
• The Wild Inner World: The transition into Le Zoo is about breaking free and stepping into a space where you can confront yourself, play, and grow — all while having a trippy, wild, and fun time playing with your own identity and your friends.

What I Learned from Making This Teaser

Honestly, this process taught me so much about why we’re making Le Zoo in the first place.

Games let us step outside ourselves and try on new realities. Creating this teaser was like experiencing that process firsthand.

Credits: A Love Letter to the Team

This teaser couldn’t have happened without an amazing group of collaborators:

Director: Dina Amer @dina__amer

Executive Director: Kelsey Falter @beingperceived

Asst Co-Writers:  Brian Alcazar @1st Mackenzie Kear @__in.ternal

Chief Creative Engineer:  Christof Stanits @christofstanits

Executive Producer: Will Perls @perlzy Kelsey Falter @beingperceived Brian Alcazar @1st Christof Stanits @christofstanitsPhotographer: Barbara Gabrielle

Production Coordinator: Claudia Drakes @claudiadrakes

Creative Director: Kelsey Falter @beingperceived

Associate Creative Director: Will Galperin  @willgalperin Raissa Chagas @raissaleme_

3D Artists: Christof Stanits @christofstanits Michi Brandstetter @mbrand

3D Animation Supervisor: Giacomo Mora @gimoanim

Make Animation: @makeanimation_studio

3D Animators: Luca Albertini, @luca_albertini_cgi, Christof Stanits @christofstanits

Reza Motesadi, Mehdi Salimi

3D Animation Production Manager: Alessia Rausei

Editor + Colorist: Doug Mcintosh @nottherealdougmcintosh

Motion Graphics: Colin Knighton @son.of.fly

Visual FX: Christof Stanits @christofstanits, Michi Brandstetter @mbrand

Sound Design: Brian Alcazar @1st

Makeup: Shay Garcia  @kushdashian

Set Design: Claudia Drakes @claudiadrakes Kelsey Falter @beingperceived

Wardrobe: Cara Eisel @Caralynnstudio

Live Action Production: Sleeping on Mars @sleepingonmars

Director of Photography: Joe Cavallini @joecavallini

Gaffer: Sean Cobuzzi @nyxboozi91

Gaffer: Mohammed Woli @mo.wo007

Sound: Andrew Kim @andrewkim.sound

1st AC: Ambrose Eng @ambroseeng

Steady Cam: Calvin Frank @steadical

Production Assistant: Mateo Wilches @mateito_teo

Live Action Female: Sahara Lin @palefoxsahara

Live Action Anchor: Anthony “AP” Peterson @aptheangel

Voiceovers: Kadeem Olijah, Claudia Drakes, Kelsey Falter, Zach Dietsch, Arden Wolf, Brian Alcazar

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Thanks for following along. Building Le Zoo has been a wild ride, and I’m so excited to share it with you.

Kelsey