Hornet has signed director, César Pelizer globally. The work of this animator, illustrator and absurdist stands out. He has a flair for humour with a bite and a philosophy of not following the rules that has fashion his bright, very graphical, primitive style.

Hornet executive producer, Hana Shimizu, noted “Although Cesar’s worlds are minimal, it’s not to be mistaken for simple or naive. I love how his storytelling is provoking and whimsical at the same time. In this dichotomy of his sensibilities, I find an incredible richness and unique voice. We’re so excited to partner up with him at this stage of his career where his distinct voice adds a new dimension to our family of directors.”

Pelizer grew up devouring comics and searching magazines for illustrations and drawings. His grandfather worked for a publisher in Sao Paulo and would bring them home to him. He was also a huge fan of Disney, and loved to try to replicate its illustrations and characters – ultimately created his own versions. This was the beginning of the development of his own unique style and a trajectory, which was shaped by the fact that he never liked proper proportions, so he made up his own.

In his youth, he tried art classes but didn’t respond to them because he didn’t tend toward perfectionist techniques. At 15, he was approached to do an illustration for a local paper, which led to one of his comic strips being included in a book of local illustrators. This was when he realised that he could make a living out of his art. So at 16, he began to explore animation, taught himself flash and learned to build websites. At 18, he moved to Argentina for university after attending a design conference and falling in love with the art scene there. Not long after, he quit university to work at an animation studio where he remained for several years. His next leap of faith occurred when visiting London on holiday. He went to meet a friend of a friend, which turned out to be an interview and design-led motion studio, weareseventeen, immediately asked when he was moving. Not long after, Pelizer moved to London.

Pelizer has a keen interest in VR, and even more in the AR world. But the importance of short film and storytelling remains paramount and this is directly in line with Hornet’s DNA. In commercial work, Pelizer’s animation and illustration go hand in hand, and he regularly jumps back and forth between the two crafts, which gives him both a flair and a passion for creating truly integrated campaigns, from branding to ads to design.