A Real Bug’s Life, narrated by Awkwafina, takes audiences on an extraordinary journey into the microcosmos, showcasing the essential role insects play in ecosystems through nine visually stunning habitats around the globe. To amplify the series’ January 2024 Disney+ premiere, Picture Motion partnered with National Geographic Documentary Films to design and execute an impact campaign that would transform the show’s storytelling into real-world engagement.
Our campaign set out to:
Celebrate the complexity, beauty, and importance of insect life.
Inspire STEM curiosity among primary and secondary students.
Partner with life sciences and entomology experts, educators, and influencers to organically promote the series.
Cultivate community engagement through immersive, educational experiences tied to the series’ themes.
We aimed to shift public perception, moving audiences from fear or indifference toward curiosity, care, and even admiration for bugs. By combining cinematic storytelling with tactile, hands-on experiences, we sought to make science feel personal and accessible, especially for young learners and their families.
Through carefully curated events, strategic partnerships, and sustainability-minded execution, the campaign bridged the gap between entertainment and education, fostering a deeper connection to the natural world and a renewed commitment to ecological stewardship.
Strategy & Execution
Picture Motion and National Geographic Partners developed an immersive, multi-market impact campaign to coincide with the January 2024 Disney+ release of A Real Bug’s Life. Our goal was to transform the series’ breathtaking, microcosmic storytelling into tangible, interactive experiences that would inspire curiosity, spark dialogue, and build intergenerational connections around environmental stewardship.
Plan of Action
We identified four key markets: Los Angeles, CA; Burbank, CA; Austin, TX; and Brooklyn, NY, selected for their strong science, education, and community engagement ecosystems. Partnering with trusted institutions such as the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Disney Animation Studios, the Texas Science and Natural History Museum, and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, we created experiential screening events designed to reach families, educators, students, and environmental advocates.
Event Features
Each event combined cinematic immersion with hands-on learning:
Curated post-screening honey tastings spotlighted the role of pollinators, featuring local apiaries.
Bug-themed activities and demos included live insect showcases by entomologists, museum tours, and a custom “Bug Bingo” game for swag bags.
Educational giveaways: National Geographic Kids magazines, artisanal honey, branded tote bags, and custom playing cards—extended learning beyond the event.
We engaged premier wildlife and environmental partners (Sierra Club, NRDC, Wildlife Conservation Society) to co-promote events, and tapped local networks—schools, youth groups, and community organizations, to ensure diversity in age, profession, and background.
Local Highlights
Los Angeles: Portal Schools integrated the series into learning projects; USC and the Wrigley Institute mobilized film, biology, and environmental studies students; Community Coalition brought families from South L.A.
Austin: Generation Serve rallied community volunteers; Mad Science Austin promoted to young learners; UT’s Entomology Department provided live insect displays.
Brooklyn: Reel Works incorporated the screening into teen film coursework; Brooklyn Bugs founder Joseph Yoon amplified outreach; Boys & Girls Club of Manhattan engaged student groups.
Family brand Little Spoon provided healthy snacks and leveraged its parent-influencer network, contributing to a combined social reach exceeding 5.3 million.
Sustainability & Accessibility
We prioritized eco-friendly materials, zero-waste planning, and partnerships with environmentally conscious vendors, ensuring the campaign aligned with the series’ ecological values.
Challenges & Solutions
Coordinating multi-city events with diverse partners required meticulous scheduling and adaptation to local contexts. In some cities, we navigated capacity and budget constraints by leveraging in-kind contributions, volunteer networks, and cross-promotions. Aligning scientific content with entertainment appeal demanded close collaboration between subject-matter experts and creative teams to maintain accuracy without sacrificing engagement.
What Makes This Work Unique
Our approach bridged the worlds of science, entertainment, and community engagement—turning a streaming release into a nationwide celebration of nature. By pairing sensory, hands-on experiences with vivid on-screen storytelling, we made STEM education feel personal and accessible, encouraging participants to carry the conversation from the screening room into classrooms, homes, and community spaces.
The result was more than an awareness campaign, it was an invitation to see our smallest neighbors not as pests, but as vital, fascinating members of Earth’s ecosystem.
The A Real Bug’s Life impact campaign successfully transformed a streaming release into a dynamic, community-driven movement that met, and in many cases exceeded, our objectives of celebrating insect life, inspiring STEM curiosity, and fostering intergenerational engagement.
Across four experiential events, we engaged 462 in-person attendees from diverse backgrounds, driven by 653 RSVPs and outreach to 347 organizations—including schools, STEM nonprofits, museums, and family networks. Our fully organic promotional strategy, with no paid media spend, delivered 775+ digital clicks, 166K+ social reach via influencer and partner amplification, and an impressive 5.3 million total social media impressions.
Feedback from attendees indicated a measurable shift in perception: participants left with a deeper appreciation for insects’ ecological roles and expressed intentions to extend conversations at home and in classrooms. Educators reported plans to integrate the series into lesson plans, and community organizations committed to hosting follow-up events aligned with the series’ themes.
Our tactile engagement strategy, Bug Bingo games, artisanal honey tastings, live insect showcases, and educational swag, ensured the experience resonated beyond the event itself. Strategic partner and family/baby food brand, 'Little Spoon' brought influential parents into the fold, amplifying the campaign’s visibility in family-focused digital spaces.
By uniting scientific accuracy, cinematic storytelling, and community participation, we created an accessible, joyful entry point to environmental literacy. The campaign stands as a strong example of how intentional impact design can inspire care for the natural world, foster lifelong learning, and transform how audiences see even the smallest members of our shared ecosystem.