Behind the characters: How GrowWell’s animated world came to life

When children watch an animated story, they see characters, colours and movement. Behind each of those choices, however, there is a bigger question: how can a character help a child understand what they are feeling?

For GrowWell, character development was never just about creating a cast that looks appealing on screen. The characters are an important part of how the project introduces social and emotional learning to children aged 3-7.

More than just cartoon characters

GrowWell’s animated videos are built around everyday situations that young children can recognise: waiting for a turn, dealing with frustration, sharing, misunderstandings during play, expressing emotions and learning to cooperate.

The characters needed to feel at home in these situations. They had to be visually warm and accessible, but also distinctive enough for children to recognise their personalities and emotional reactions.

That is why colour, form and facial expressions all play an important role in the design. A character’s expression can sometimes communicate something to a child before the character says a single word.

Meet Nori, the guide

One of the central characters in the GrowWell series is Nori, a small owl with an important role.

Nori is not there to solve every problem or tell children what the “right” answer is. Instead, Nori encourages them to pause and look more closely at what is happening.

What might the character be feeling? Why did they react that way? What could they do next?

This reflects one of GrowWell’s key ideas: children learn about emotions not simply by being told what to feel or how to behave, but by having the opportunity to observe, talk and think about their experiences. Nori therefore acts more like a gentle guide than a teacher, creating space for children to reflect.

Designing characters children can recognise

The GrowWell team also wanted the animated world to reflect the diversity of children’s everyday experiences.

Different personalities, appearances, interests and family situations are naturally part of the stories. Inclusion is not presented as a separate lesson. Instead, it is part of the world the characters live in.

This makes the stories easier for children to connect with while also creating opportunities to notice and understand experiences that may be different from their own.

One world, different languages

GrowWell is being developed through cooperation between partners from several European countries. That also means the characters need to work across different languages and cultural contexts.

As part of the production process, character names and selected cultural references are adapted for different partner countries while keeping the core learning content consistent.

The result is a shared GrowWell world that can feel familiar to children in different places, while still respecting their local context.

From drawings to stories

Creating the characters is only one part of the process. They are now being brought to life through animation, where their expressions, movements and interactions become part of the learning experience.

The aim is simple: to create stories that children want to watch, characters they can recognise themselves in, and moments that give them a reason to stop, talk and think.

Because sometimes, understanding a big feeling can start with something as simple as watching a small character go through it first.