swimming in the deep blue sea

Fourth of July was coming up and we were reminiscing about the time our niece was in the Finding Nemo phase and watching that movie on repeat. At the same time, one of our best friends was expecting their first baby, so we wanted to create an animated story showing the four of us as kids and then turning into fish. We don’t get to see them as often now that we are living on opposite coasts, so we wanted to surprise them with this piece.

If you get through to the end credits, you’ll see the bonus surprise we made them to celebrate the new addition to their family.

The theme of this animated story is about how fruits and vegetables are great sources of energy. Fruits and vegetables introduced in this animation also showcase different colors of the rainbow, which led us to the ending with Fourth of July fireworks.

tips for engaging with your kids when watching videos together

Try playing “name that fruit or veggie” game with your little ones when watching this animation with them or ask them what they think will happen next. It’s a great way to interact with each other and bond!

lyrics for the swimming in the deep blue sea animation

Good morning friend, what a day to
go for a ride 
and take a dive! 

Don’t be shy now, it’s ok to 
jump right in. 
“See my fin?!” 

Look all around, whaddya see? 
“Over there?” 
“Everywhere!” 

Discover fruits and veggies. 
They’re tasty (“they fill you up!”) 
and give energy! 

Veggies and fruit, 
yeah they’re so good for you. 
Different colors and shapes 
and lots of tastes too. 
From fuzzy and juicy, to tart and sweet. 
So many choices 
of good things to eat. 
Weee! 

Work together to create
harmony.
“Let it Be.”

Teamwork helps to make new friends
even if
“You’re a fish!”

Veggies and fruit,
yeah they’re so good for you.
Different colors and shapes
and lots of tastes too.
From fuzzy and juicy, to tart and sweet.
So many choices
of good things to eat!
Ow!

Veggies and fruit,
yeah they’re so good for you.
Different colors and shapes
and lots of tastes too.
From fuzzy and juicy (peach!), to tart and sweet.
So many choices
of good things to eat.

Veggies and fruit (squash!)
yeah they’re so good for you (watermelon!)
Different colors and shapes (figs!)
and lots of tastes too (swiss chard!)
From fuzzy and juicy (peach!), to tart and sweet (blackberry!)
So many choices (mushrooms!)
of good things to eat!
Wahooo!

cooking with kids

Now that the kids are excited about these fruits and vegetables, here are some dishes you can make for lunch, dinner, or a snack together:

• Use summer squash or patty pan squash for this tasty meal (also great for picnics or lunch boxes): taiwanese summer squash, fava bean cold noodles
• Watermelon of all different colors can be used in this super quick and delicious salad: watermelon salad

behind the scenes

These are some behind the scenes sketches and storyboard illustrations in case you were curious. As usual, we start off with a script, then we do a rough sketch of the characters and storyline.

initial sketches

storyboard illustrations

video credits

story by: cindy chou
design and animation by: gregchen
music and vocals by:justinmatley at matley productions

Please leave a comment below and let us know what you and your kids enjoyed the most in the animation. We would love to hear from you and create animated stories that you love!