Synopsis

Darren Hayes moves through a picture-perfect small-town parade staged in his honor, surrounded by marching bands, majorettes, military figures, floats, confetti, and cheering spectators. Daniel Jones appears with him as the duo are treated like visiting celebrities. Intercut footage from the film The Other Sister broadens the video's emotional context, contrasting the exuberant public spectacle with scenes featuring Juliette Lewis. The result is a bright, celebratory visual companion to the song's desire for freedom, compassion, and escape from everyday pressure.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in Piru, California, whose quiet main street was transformed into a fictional parade route for the production.

• The parade included the Riverside Community College Marching Band, the Fillmore High School band, Oxnard Shriners on scooters, majorettes, beauty queens, tractors, floats, and a vintage military group.

• The Fillmore High School music program received $1,000 for participating in the two-day shoot. Most of the student musicians were asked to mime their playing, while the drummers performed for real.

• The video was made to promote a song written for the 1999 film The Other Sister. Clips from the movie, including scenes with Juliette Lewis, are woven into the performance footage.

• The Animal Song marked Savage Garden's first collaboration with producer Walter Afanasieff. He later produced the duo's Affirmation album, giving the track added importance as a bridge between the band's first two studio eras.

• In a 2015 reflection, Darren Hayes said the duo had passed on recording for Runaway Bride and instead chose to make a song for The Other Sister, which he described humorously as the film that flopped.

• The song became a major international hit, reaching No. 3 in Australia and New Zealand, No. 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and No. 16 in the United Kingdom.