I'm launching a YouTube channel that explains personal finance and economics in the style of classic 1950s educational cartoons — think John Sutherland Productions, UPA-influenced limited animation, Coronet educational films, and the NYSE-commissioned "What Makes Us Tick" era. Warm desaturated palette, simple but charming character designs, painted backgrounds, limited animation with intentional held poses, hand-inked line work.

I'm looking for an animator who genuinely loves this aesthetic and can produce it cleanly. This is the first of what I plan to be an ongoing series — if the first video works out, this becomes recurring work, roughly one video every 2-4 weeks.

Visual Reference — Please Watch Before Applying

Primary reference for the exact style I want:

The Stock Market Explained By 1950s Cartoon — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taJIF2oNCh4

This clip is from a genuine 1950s industrial film (about an oil drum manufacturing company forming a corporation). The visual style in this video is exactly what I'm trying to recreate: the character design language, the painted backgrounds with hazy distant cityscapes, the warm desaturated color palette (oranges, mustard yellows, dusty teals, cream backgrounds), the hand-inked line work, the limited animation rhythm, the hand-lettered title cards, and the overall composition style.

When you apply, please tell me honestly: can you produce work that looks like this clip? Not "inspired by it" — actually in this visual register. If your answer is no, this isn't the right project for you, and that's fine. If your answer is yes, show me portfolio work that proves it.

Related references (same era, same general style family):

John Sutherland Productions: Make Mine Freedom (1948), Going Places (1948)

Any NYSE-commissioned educational cartoon from 1955 to 65

UPA studio output from the same period (Mr. Magoo era)

The Project

Video One: "What Is Money?" — approximately 9-10 minutes long, fully scripted (1,800 words), with detailed shot-by-shot visual cues already written. The episode follows three recurring animated characters (a friendly anthropomorphic dollar bill named Bill, a wise elderly penny named Penny, and a dignified bank safe called The Vault) and traces the history of money from barter through the gold standard to today.

What's Already Done

Full script with all narration written

Detailed visual cue notes for each section

Character concepts defined (I have rough reference sketches of the three main characters, but I want your interpretation in faithful period style — your visual instincts in the 1950s tradition matter more than my early sketches)

ElevenLabs narration will be provided (or I can have you collaborate with a voice actor if you prefer)

I'll provide period-appropriate music selection and any sound design references

What You Would Do

Character design for the three recurring leads, in faithful 1950s industrial-film style matching the reference clip above

Background art for approximately 8-12 distinct settings (a small medieval village, a goldsmith's shop, Fort Knox, a 1970s living room, a modern bakery, etc.)

Animation of all scenes — limited animation is welcome and stylistically appropriate; I'm not looking for full Disney-style movement

Title cards and end card in the period typography

Final video deliverable as a single edited file, ready to upload to YouTube, with the narration synced and any sound design in place (or I can handle the final sound mix if you prefer to deliver picture only)

What I'm Looking For in Your Application

Please include:

Confirmation that you watched the reference clip and a brief note on whether you can genuinely match that style — be honest, not aspirational.

Portfolio links — particularly any vintage, retro, or midcentury-style work you've done. I'd rather see one piece that nails this aesthetic than ten pieces in other styles.

A note on which tools you use — After Effects, Moho, Cavalry, traditional 2D, or something else. I'm not picky about software, only about results.

Your honest estimate of how long video one would take to produce from a finished script.

Your rate — flat fee for the first video, or your hourly rate with an estimated total. Don't sandbag; tell me what this work is actually worth.

One question about the project that tells me you read this posting.

What I'm Not Looking For

Modern flat-design "explainer video" style (Vyond, Animaker, Powtoon-style work). I want hand-crafted, not template-driven.

Generic "retro" that's really 1990s nostalgia. The reference is specifically 1955s American industrial/educational animation.

AI-generated final output. I'm fine with AI-assisted in your process (storyboarding, rough comps, asset variations) but the final deliverable should be hand-animated work.

Anyone who can't commit to a 2-3 week turnaround on video one.

Timeline & Budget

I'd like to publish video one within 3-4 weeks of hiring. Budget is flexible for the right person — tell me what your work is worth and let's have a real conversation. Strong preference for someone I can build an ongoing relationship with rather than a one-off vendor.

I'm willing to pay a small fee for a brief paid test shot (a single 5-10 second scene) before committing to the full video, so we both know we're a fit before larger work begins.

Looking forward to your applications.