Vans is pleased to announce the global launch of The Story of Vans on this historic day, Vans’ 50th anniversary. On March 16, 1966 Vans opened in Anaheim, Calif. as a small family-owned brand with big dreams. 50 years later, the Van Doren spirit lives on as one of the largest youth culture brands in the world, fostering a culture of creative expression through action sports, art, music and street culture. Vans commemorates its rich heritage with The Story of Vans series – a visual campaign that is truly the first of its kind – combining a mix of artistic methods to highlight iconic moments from the brand’s 50-year history. The Story of Vans blends diverse animation methods to create one distinctive visual treatment in a groundbreaking campaign that illustrates the brand’s origins in action sports, art, music and fashion. In a never before seen combination of techniques, The Story of Vans uses forced perspective drawings, traditional cell animation, paper cut outs and timeless Vans footwear, which are all stop motion animated in an intricately choreographed celebration of the brand. Directed by Reza Resoli from Pet Gorilla, The Story of Vans is brought to life through whimsical black and white illustrations by French artists Mrzyk & Moriceau and a soundtrack produced by music house Beta Petrol, who brought together different musical collaborators ranging from Tortoise’s John Herndon to Wayne Kramer from the MC5. The campaign is made up of a series of five short stories, one which tells the journey of the Vans brand, and four additional spots that emphasize Vans’ core forms of creative expression and define the mantra of living “Off The Wall.” Each story is narrated by a renowned individual and long-time Vans enthusiast. Professional skateboarder and historian of the sport, Jeff Grosso, voices the leading story while iconic skateboarding legend Tony Alva speaks to his own history with the brand in the action sports short. Artist and musician Ray Barbee, Chuck D of Public Enemy and fashion icon and actress Chloe Sevigny lend their vocals for the art, music and fashion shorts, respectively. Check out this campaign videos below.