This Anime Rendition of Oregon Could Be Straight From a Miyazaki Flick

The 90-second Travel Oregon video is accurately titled, “Only Slightly Exaggerated.”

By Elise Herron

Portland advertising agency Wieden and Kennedy's new animated commercial for Travel Oregon looks like it was plucked straight out of a Hayao Miyazaki movie. (Think Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke.)

The 90-second short, titled "Only Slightly Exaggerated," is a dream-scene of children riding enormous bunnies through technicolor tulip fields, comet critters dancing through Crater Lake and humpback whales swimming dreamily in the sky.

It's pretty freaking magical. And notably unconventional—which was exactly what W+K's art director, Nick Stokes, was aiming for.

"We thought Oregon deserved better than just another travel ad," Stokes says. "So we turned to animation to try and capture its magic. We're very proud of the work, and I'm honored to represent my home state in such a unique way."

Inspiration for the spring tourism campaign video came from trips to Eastern, Coastal and Southern Oregon. Each animated location in the short film is a real place you can visit in Oregon.

Travel Oregon's CEO, Todd Davidson, says he hopes the campaign "inspires people to come find happiness by vacation in Oregon." (And that it inspires them to spend a little money here, too: "The time is right," he says, "to showcase the outdoor adventures available in every corner of the state and build upon the $11.3 billion a year in visitor spending that directly employs more than 109,000 Oregonians.")

Starting today, the dreamy Oregon ad will show up in theaters and on TV screens in Portland, San Francisco, Seattle and Phoenix.

Here's a sneak preview:

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