Chappell Roan's stopmotion-to-anime Fortnite trailer just left my jaw on the floor

(Image credit: Epic Games)

We've seen so many unlikely Fortnite collabs in recent years that Epic Games has to go bigger each time to make them still worthy of attention. And for the announcement of Chappell Roan in Fortnite Festival Season 13, it gone mega big.

Not a fan of the pop star? Not a fan of Fortnite? It doesn't matter. Watch the video below anyway because it has to be one of the artistic video game trailers in history.

Chappell Roan is the Fortnite Festival Season 13 Icon! - YouTube

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The Fortnite Chappell Roan trailer is only a minute long but manages to pack in a mix of very different animation styles that gel together beautifully (see our pick of the best laptops for animation if you're inspired).

At the start, you wouldn't guess it had anything to do with Fortnite. It starts with stop-motion animation, and passes through frame-by-frame embroidery and then an anime-inspired style.

The sections segue into each other smoothly conjuring up the feeling of a fairy tale as the pop star, depicted in full Joan Of Arc garb from her 2024 MTV Video Music Awards performance, battles hordes of bizarre beasts. It's only in the last 20 seconds that it suddenly becomes clear this is an ad for the Fortnite Festival and not a very creative alternative music video Chappell's Pink Pony Club.

The stunning animation was directed by Berlin-based Raman Djafari for the studio BLINKINK, which previously worked on the BBC's striking Euro 2025 animation. Dozens of artists contributed to the piece, including 3D animator Justin Rasch, lead 2D animator Emily Goetting , concept artists, compositors, effects artists and a team of five from the London Embroidery Studio working on the tapestry design.

It’s refreshing to see a game developer opt for such authentic and raw artwork for a trailer. Unsurprisingly, many people commenting on social media are commending Epic for choosing a handcrafted animation approach over AI-generated visual.

After recent highlights like Gorillaz in Fortnite Festival and the premiere of Tarantino's "Lost Chapter" of Kill Bill, Epic's shown that more than a mere third-person survival shooter, Fortnite is increasingly a stage for art of various kinds.

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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

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