Synopsis

An animated traveler crosses a fantastical landscape of snow, storms, sand, and open skies. Along the way, he encounters a menagerie of wild animals, including an igloo-dwelling hedgehog and a wolf, turning an initially solitary journey into something more communal and magical. The imagery follows the song's themes of memory, connection, and finding one's place within a larger story. As the adventure progresses, the icy and desert environments give way to a warmer sense of companionship, ending on an uplifting note.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Gathering Stories" was written by Jon Thor Birgisson, better known as Jónsi, with lyrics by filmmaker Cameron Crowe. The song was created for the soundtrack to Crowe's 2011 film "We Bought a Zoo."

• Instead of using footage from "We Bought a Zoo," the video presents an entirely original animated world filled with animals and changing landscapes.

• The project was produced for Columbia Records with the UK creative studio Crush and the agency RUSH. Its visual approach was associated with the emerging "vectorism" style, using clean vector-based illustrations and bold, graphic forms.

• The video runs for approximately 3 minutes and 59 seconds and was presented in 2012 at the Supertoon International Animation Film Festival.