Mixed media animation is one of the most creative and flexible storytelling formats out there. By blending live action footage with animation, motion graphics, 3D elements, and more, these videos manage to feel polished and personal at the same time. For businesses, that means being able to communicate complex ideas, big visions, or even playful product launches in ways that audiences actually remember.
In this article, we're diving into five of the best mixed media animation examples of 2025, with a closer look at why this format is so effective, where it works best, and how you can use it in your own brand content.
Why Use Mixed Media Animation?
It's no secret that video content is leading the charge when it comes to digital engagement. In fact, 93% of businesses see video as an important part of their marketing strategy!
Mixed media animation offers a unique edge by combining the realism of live action footage with the versatility and visual flair of 2D and 3D animation, text overlays, still images, and special effects. The result? Videos that are:
- Engaging: Layered visuals keep the eye moving and the brain interested.
- Memorable: When you see a real person explain something, then watch it come to life with motion graphics, it sticks.
- Adaptable: This format works across industries and channels, from tech explainers to nonprofit outreach.
- Cost-effective: You can save on full-scale sets or cast hires by animating key parts of the story.
Whether you're showing off a product, explaining a platform, or rallying support for a cause, mixed media animation can balance emotion with clarity like no other.
Where to Use Mixed Media Animation
The flexibility of mixed media animation makes it a go-to for both B2B and B2C brands. It's also ideal for mobile-first platforms, where short, eye-catching visuals are key. According to HubSpot, videos under 90 seconds retain 59% of viewers, compared to only 15% for videos over 30 minutes. That's why this format continues to grow in popularity.
So, where does this style shine? Here are some of the most effective uses for mixed media animation:
Product Demos
Blend real product footage with animation. Highlight key features, show use cases, or explain complex mechanisms in a more engaging way-perfect for websites or product launch pages.
Tech or SaaS Explainers
Use animation to visualize abstract concepts like data flow or user journeys, while layering in UI footage to show the real platform in action. Great for landing pages or onboarding videos.
Healthcare or Scientific Communication
Combine live video with motion graphics or illustrations to simplify complex ideas. Think medical or technical topics for patients, stakeholders, or training-ideal for hospital networks, pharma, or biotech brands.
Nonprofit Awareness Campaigns
Mix interviews, documentary-style clips, and animated data to tell emotional, human-centered stories. These inspire action, especially effective on donation pages or social campaigns.
Retail and Consumer Marketing
Use vibrant animated overlays and text to add energy to product footage or influencer clips. Great for seasonal promotions, e-commerce listings, or digital signage.
Social Media Ads and Promos
Grab attention quickly with a mix of video, graphics, and text animations that fit vertical or square formats. Optimize for platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
Training & Internal Comms
Keep internal teams engaged by mixing live-action scenarios with animated callouts or diagrams. Helps clarify policies, processes, or updates-ideal for onboarding, compliance, or culture-building content.
How to Do Mixed Media Animation
Creating a successful mixed media animation video is all about balance. Here's a quick look at the process:
Scriptwriting & Storyboarding
- Develop a detailed script, visual direction, and scene-by-scene storyboard to guide asset creation across multiple media types.
Production of Media
- Live Action Footage: Professionally filmed or client-provided video, often enhanced with green screen or motion tracking for integration.
- 2D Animation: Built in tools like After Effects or Toon Boom to animate characters, icons, and explainer graphics.
- Whiteboard Animation: Hand-drawn or digitally created line art animated in sync with narration, ideal for step-by-step explanation.
- 3D Animation: Modeled and rendered in software like Blender or Cinema 4D to add realism and depth for products or environments.
- Stop Motion Elements: Frame-by-frame animation using physical objects or cutouts, captured and edited for a handmade, tactile effect.
- Text Overlays & Motion Typography: Animated titles, captions, and callouts created in After Effects or Premiere to emphasize key points.
- Still Images & Illustrations: Designed in Photoshop or Illustrator and animated subtly to add style or context.
Post-Production
- Compositing & Effects: Blend media types with transitions, overlays, and visual effects using tools like After Effects.
- Editing & Syncing: Arrange footage, animation, and audio on a master timeline, adjusting pacing, timing, and flow.
- Color & Sound: Apply color grading, audio mixing, and polish for a cohesive, professional look and feel.
- Export & Optimization: Render high-res versions, crop for various platforms, and compress for smooth, fast playback.
Pro Tips
- Mixing media doesn't mean mixing messages. Mixed media animation works best when each element has a clear role. Don't add media just to add flair- make sure it serves the message.
- Plan for integration early. Animators, editors, and videographers should work from the same storyboard to keep things cohesive.
- Keep your color palette and typography consistent across formats to avoid a disjointed look.
- Use motion to guide the viewer's eye. Smooth transitions between media types help the story flow naturally.
- Don't forget audio! A well-mixed soundtrack can unify live action, animation, and text into one seamless experience.
- Working with a professional video production company ensures your mixed media animation video feels cohesive, not chaotic.
5 Top Mixed Media Animation Videos in 2025
1. Rhapsody | Revolutionizing Digital Health
Purpose & Context: This brand video simplifies Rhapsody's complex digital health platform, positioning it as a flexible, API-enabled tool for healthcare providers, tech innovators, and public health organizations.
Style & Technique: Combines live action footage with sleek motion design and UI animations to connect emotionally while clearly showing how the platform works. The pacing is polished and strategic, ideal for both marketing and B2B sales contexts.
Why It Works: This is an expert balance of warmth and technical precision, making it both trustworthy and forward-thinking, perfect for B2B healthcare. By combining real people with animated data and interfaces, it transforms complex functionality into a relatable story. This mixed media animation approach highlights not only what the product does but why it matters, delivering clear, nuanced messaging that positions Rhapsody as a modern, human-centered leader in digital health.
2. Motion Array | Get It on Motion Array
Purpose & Context: This piece was created to promote Motion Array as an all-in-one creative platform for video creators, editors, and motion designers. Its goal is to quickly showcase the breadth of assets available and drive users to sign up and start creating faster.
Style & Technique: A combo of live action, fast-cut motion graphics, and 3D animation to create a bold, high-energy visual experience- mirroring the tone and pace of creative work itself. Confident voiceover leads the narrative, while the visuals flash through real people using the platform.
Why It Works: This video blends real users and stylized content previews to reflect the creative energy of its audience. By using its own assets to tell the story, Motion Array delivers a smart, self-aware showcase that feels like the product itself: high-energy, visually rich, and versatile. The mixed media format highlights what's possible with the platform in action, making it more than a demo. It's an invitation to dive in, sign up, and start creating.
3. SquareTrade | Live Action Product Demo
Purpose & Context: This explainer helps customers quickly understand SquareTrade's tech protection plans and why they matter. It's designed for use across retail, digital ads, and web, helping consumers instantly understand the value of coverage for their tech and consumer products.
Style & Technique: Blends live-action lifestyle footage with sharp motion graphics overlays to make the message clear and quick. On-screen text and animated callouts reinforce key benefits while keeping the visuals fast-paced and engaging.
Why It Works: This fast-paced, polished video is built for clarity and impact, making it ideal for web and retail marketing. In under a minute, it delivers both the "why" and the "how" through a sharp mix of live action and motion graphics. The result is a dynamic, relatable message that blends emotional appeal with technical credibility-perfect for driving conversions in high-speed, high-impact environments.
4. Playdate | Say Hello to Playdate!!
Purpose & Context: Launch teaser that introduces Playdate, a quirky handheld gaming device with a crank, aiming to spark excitement and curiosity in the gaming and gadget-loving community. The goal is to highlight its uniqueness and charm while quickly establishing brand personality and product functionality.
Style & Technique: Live action meets animated UI, bold motion graphics, and fast-paced transitions to reflect the product's unique charm. The voiceover is playful and energetic, matching the brand's offbeat tone. Pops of color, exaggerated scale, and quick cuts bring a high-impact, in-your-face feel to the storytelling.
Why It Works: It's punchy and weird... in a good way. It works because it captures attention instantly. The live action gives it a tactile, real-world vibe, while the motion graphics and animated UI scream fun, interaction, and personality. The mixed media approach reinforces that Playdate is not just another gadget; it's a fresh, unexpected experience you can hold in your hand.
5. American Red Cross | Extreme Heat Awareness
Purpose & Context: Raises awareness around extreme heat preparedness, showcasing how the American Red Cross helps communities stay safe during rising climate threats. Aimed at the general public, healthcare partners, and donors, the video is part of a broader effort to educate and mobilize action around climate-driven disasters.
Style & Technique: Live action, motion graphic overlays, and human storytelling come together to make safety feel personal. Human-centered scenes build emotional connection, while animated data points, maps, and alerts provide practical, accessible information. The message is both relatable and informative, with visuals that support retention and urgency.
Why It Works: It connects emotion with action and makes preparedness feel personal. The live action adds heart and credibility, while the motion graphics clarify key steps and stats without overwhelming the viewer. This balanced format empowers the audience with knowledge and a sense of agency, exactly what's needed in the face of intensifying climate risks. It's informative without being alarmist, striking the right tone to inspire thoughtful, proactive response.
Why Levitate Media is Your Mixed Media Dream Team
At Levitate Media, we've got a thing for blending creativity with strategy, and mixed media animation is where we really shine. If you're looking to bring your brand story to life in a way that's both eye-catching and effective, here's why we're the team to make it happen:
- We've Been Doing This a While: With over 15 years in the game and more than 10,000 videos under our belt (for 2,500+ amazing clients), we know how to craft visuals that stick. From sleek live-action to polished 2D/3D animation and everything in between, we mix media like pros to help your message land.
- We've Got the Accolades to Prove It: We're proud to say our work has earned us 55+ awards- including Tellys, Clios, and more. But more importantly, our clients trust us to turn big ideas into beautiful, business-boosting videos.
- We Have Talent and Resources: Our team includes some seriously talented animators, illustrators, scriptwriters, producers, and live-action experts. Whether it's drone footage, motion graphics, or a voiceover that nails your tone, we've got the tools (and the team) to pull it off.
- We're Creative, But With Purpose: Our goal isn't just to make your video look amazing; it's to make it work for your brand. We take the time to understand your voice, your audience, and your goals, so the final product isn't just creative, it's strategic.
So whether you're after a product explainer, a bold brand video, or something totally out of the box, Levi Levitate Media has you covered. We bring strategy, creativity, and execution under one roof to help you connect with your audience in a way that feels true to you.
Curious what we can create together? Our expert team can help you harness the power of mixed media animation to engage viewers and tell your story effectively. Check out our Mixed Media Animation Services and let's bring your story to life.
Final Thoughts
Mixed media animation is more than a trend; it's a powerful tool for business storytelling in 2025. With its ability to engage, explain, and elevate, it's no wonder brands across industries are embracing this format. By combining live action, motion graphics, and illustrative elements, mixed media delivers both clarity and creativity, helping companies stand out, connect emotionally, and communicate complex ideas with ease.
If you're ready to level up your video content, now's the time to explore the possibilities of mixed media animation. Let's make something unforgettable.
Reach out to Levitate Media to start your next project.
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